Want
by Missy the Cat
Summary: Amy Rose wanted to become pregnant, now she met Shadow and Sonic and started to develop romantic feelings for them.
1. Chapter 1

Another SonAmyShad Story.

Chapter 1.

Please Review.

No Flames.

Even though I wrote it, I extremely dislike yaoi and yuri. But I promised one of my friends that I'll include it in my future stories temporarily.

* * *

Shadow the Hedgehog is a 28 year old muscular jet black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills, around the edges of his eyes, and on his arms and legs, has crimson-red eyes, a patch of white fur on his chest, and his muzzle is tan, has 6 quills on his head, four of which curve upwards and two that curve downwards, two spines on his back, and a small tail and in his usual outfit, Shadow wears white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues, and air shoes which, like his gloves, have black cuffs and orange-red tongues, on each of his wrists and ankles, he wears a single gold rings, a long sleeved dark grey shirt, and long black pants.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 26 year old muscular hedgehog with cobalt blue fur that covers most of his body, tan skin that covers his arms, muzzle and front torso, and emerald-green eyes, has six long quills on the back of his head, two spines protruding from his back behind his shoulders, and a short tail, and in his usual outfit, 2 light-weight, hyper friction resistant red sneakers with white cuffs around the ankles, gray soles, and white straps across the top, the last of which are held down by a golden buckle on each foot. He also wears a pair of white gloves with sock-like cuffs on his hands, a short sleeved black shirt, and long blue jeans.

Amy Rose is an 24 year old curvy rosy pink-quilled hedgehog with jade-green eyes and peach skin on her muzzle and arms, quills that reached a knee length, bangs, in her usual outfit, a red hairband, and a red one piece top with a white collar, yellow buttons on the her left side and a lavender sarashi around her waist, white gloves, purple sports tape and golden ring bracelets around her wrists, purple stockings, and red-violet shoes with pink soles and toes, gray straps and pink plate with two yellow buttons on top.

Aleena the Hedgehog is a 48 year old purple fur, quill-less hedgehog with dark purple hair, and dark blue eyes, in her usual outfit, a short sleeved silver dress that reached her knees and purple shoes.

Scourge Rose is an 24 year old green fur colored hedgehog, has a pair of slash marks on his torso, sky blue eye color, and in his usual outfit, a long sleeved black leather jacket, a short sleeved white shirt, a long blue jeans, and black and green leather boots.

Charles the Hedgehog is a 50 year old hedgehog who bares many physical similarities to Sonic, but has light blue quills, has a thick, grey mustache that obscures his mouth, as well as similarly thick, grey eyebrows, arching over his blue eyes and in his usual outfit, a maroon colored, slightly pointed shoes with two dark yellow straps and and white cuffs, and, like most other of his species, white gloves.

Chuck the Hedgehog is a 52 year old hedgehog with blue gray fur and blue eyes, and in his usual outfit, long khaki pants, a long sleeved yellow dress shirt, white gloves, and brick-red shoes with three yellow straps.

Manik the Hedgehog is a 5 year old sky blue hedgehog, dark blue eyes, and in his usual outfit, a short sleeved white shirt, green shorts, and red and white shoes.

Ray the Flying Squirrel is a 29 years old, has golden yellow fur and dark tan skin on his muzzle, inner ears and front torso, black eyes, a small tapered hair tuft at the top back of his head, making it appear somewhat teardrop-shaped, a furry skin membrane connecting his waist to his lower arms, small, perky triangular ears, a shiny, bulbous black nose and a long club-shaped tail, in his usual outfit, white gloves with large cuffs, red sneakers with a white buckle-strap, and white sock-like tops as these shoes are almost identical to Sonic's shoes, but are a slightly darker shade of red, short sleeved brown shirt, and long green pants.

Jet the Hawk is a 27 year old hawk with emerald green and dark emerald green feathers covering his body and white feathers on his front torso, blue eyes, a golden beak, his feathers is styled like a mohawk with dark green tips, 2 tail feathers, in his usual outfit, a pair of white gloves with red and black cuffs, red, black and white boots with gray soles, and yellow and white goggles with gray strapping, a long sleeved red shirt, and long black pants.

Silver the Hedgehog is a 23 year old silver-white hedgehog with white fur on his chest surrounding his neck, gold eyes, and tan skin, has two large spines at the back of his head, while at the front of his forehead there are 5 distinct spines flared up and back, the 2 final ones covering up most of his ears, and in his usual outfit, a white gloves with cyan circles with lines sticking out of the bottom leading to his golden bracelets accented in cyan, the tops of his boots are of a similar fashion with a red gem set in gold. The rest of his boots are navy blue, white and cyan, a short sleeved beige shirt, and long grey pants.

Dr. Ovi Kintobor, a 52 year old fair skinned man, tall,skinny, bald, blue eyes, a bright red nose, a very bushy grey mustache, and in his usual outfit, his tinted glasses and green-lensed goggles as headwear, an elegant, red coat sporting 2 square metal buttons on both sides of the chest in gold as these buttons have white straps that run across the coat's sides to identical buttons on the back, the coat also has silver, zipper-like linings down the back, arms and front, yellow cuffs, and 2 extensions on the front that have large silver buttons, white, cuff-less gloves on his hands and a pair of black pants with matching boots seemingly attached to them bearing circular plates on the both sides of the ankles and three square ones riding up the shin.

Blaze the Cat is a 22 year old lavender-furred, anthropomorphic cat with gold eyes, her muzzle is white, her inner ears are peach colored and the tip of her long tail dark purple. Her fur is longer on each side of her head and sweeps slightly upwards, she has four plumes of fur done up in a high ponytail with dark purple tips. In her usual outfit, she wears a long, purple, flared, mantle-like coat of sorts with a dark pink hemline, white tights, a gold collar, a red hairband and a similarily red gem on her forehead, she also wears white gloves with fuzzy cuffs and high heeled, dark pink shoes with white stripes and also fuzzy cuffs.

Wild Cat is an 19 year old cat of average height with atomic tangerine fur, tan fur on his front torso and short muzzle, dark stripes on his tail, and light brown eyes. He possesses two bangs of fur across his forehead, a spike of fur tufted twice at its tip on both sides of his head and his neck, and a small black nose. His attire consists of white gloves with small cuffs, a red belt with a pocket on one side, large baggy grey socks and red shoes.

Sticks is an 12 year old badger that has orange fur with long thick fur on the back of her head, which she keeps in two locks with auburn strings, and two brown stripes across each of her eyes and bushy round ears that reach the end of her fur. Additionally, she has a peach muzzle with a small black nose, blue eyes and a medium-long bushy tail. In her usual outfit, a tube top and a skirt with an auburn rope belt, each made of worn-down grey fabric stitched together, and tan fur-skin boots, one which has a fur cuff and the other which has metal bands on it. As accessories, she wears a golden band on her right upper arm, a spiral bracelet on her left wrist and a necklace braided with seashells and a gold rings.

Maurice the Hedgehog is a 76 year old pale green hedgehog, red eyes, and in his usual outfit, a dark brown shirt, long beige pants, and brown shoes.

Breezie the Hedgehog is a 48 year old tall hedgehog with green fur and purple irises, has long quill gatherings with blue highlighted tips that fall behind her head, resembling long hair, and has two smaller and curved bangs of quills on her forehead, has purple irises, peach skin and a short black snout, and in her usual outfit, a red dress with red high heels, a white undershirt, yellow buttons, and white gloves being held together by yellow cuff rings, appears to wear makeup, and having purple eyelids.

Cream the Rabbit is an 23 year old, lop-eared rabbit with cream fur and cinnamon brown eyes, has princeton orange markings around her eyes, on her head and at the ends of her ears, and in her usual outfit, a simple short sleeved vermillion shirt with a white collar and blue cravat, a white skirt that reached her knees, and orange and yellow shoes, her ears are usually swiveled back and flop behind her head.

Tikal the Echidna is a 24 year old orange echidna girl, cobalt blue eyes, and in her usual outfit, a short sleeved spring green shirt, short beige pants, a golden necklace and tiara-like band atop her forehead, both of which were decorated with a blue jewel in the center, her white gloves were adorned with thick, cobalt-blue bracelets around her wrists, white-strapped sandals, her dreadlocks were also wrapped with similar white bandages.

Anita the Hedgehog is a 24 year old hedgehog with royal yellow fur that reached her lower back and bangs at a shoulder length, green eyes, and in her usual outfit, green round earrings, a pink sleeveless shirt, a maroon pants that reached her knees, and blue and white sneakers with shoelaces, tips and soles.

Fiona Fox is a 26 year old red and cream colored fox, shoulder length red hair, cyan blue eyes, tall, slender, yellow muzzle, and in her usual outfit, a yellow bow on the top of her head, a black belly top, black elbow-length fingerless gloves, a grey belted-skirt with a black buckled-belt, and black skinny pants that have grey padded shoes attached to them.

Shade the Echidna is a 26 year old echidna that has orange fur, a peach muzzle, and lilac eyes rimmed by a patch of much lighter (almost white) fur, each with a single, short eyelash which curves off to the side, 7 dreadlocks with a lighter zigzag pattern near the ends hanging from around her head, a small black nose and zigzag tail, and in her usual outfit, a grey headband, a long sleeved dark purple tupe top, cream colored pants that reached her knees, and grey shoes.

Knuckles the Echidna is a 29 year old echidna with red fur that covers most of his body, peach skin on his muzzle, a white crescent-shaped patch of fur on his chest, purple eyes, 7 dreadlock-like spines on his head and a medium-sized tail, and in his usual outfit, a white long sleeved shirt, long black pants, red and yellow shoes, each with green cuffs and a grey, sextuple-bolted plate on top, white, mitten-like gloves with sock-like cuffs and two spiked knuckles on each hand.

Diane Aardvark is a 57 year old aardvark with gray fur and a thin tail, a pair of sharp ears and tuffs on the back of her head, a raised white gray muzzle with a black snout and a tuff of smooth gray hair on her head, has noticeable wrinkles on her forehead and very dark purple eyes, and in her usual outfit, a purple shirt and skirt, a white coat, black high-heeled boots with gray soles, a golden bracelet on her wrist, and pink lipstick.

Little John is a 20 year old brown hedgehog, dark blue eyes, and in his usual outfit, a short sleeved grey and brown stripe shirt, long grey pants, and black and white sneakers.

Paul is a 27 year old dark blue hedgehog with light blue eyes and in his usual outfit, a long sleeved orange shirt, long beige pants, and red boots.

Mephiles the Hedgehog is a 30 year old dark grey hedgehog, greyish-blue streaks, green eyes with slit pupils, a pale-skinned muzzle, and in his usual outfit, black cuffs on his wrists, long sleeved dark brown shirt, long black pants, and brown sneakers.

Yanar is a 25 year old brown echidna, purple eyes, and in his usual outfit, a short sleeved light blue shirt, long grey pants, and yellow shoes.

Eclipse is a baby dark red hedgehog with black streaks, has 6 quills on his head, 3 of which curve upwards and 3 that curve downwards, 2 spines on his back, had bangs, small tuff of white fur on his chest, crimson red eyes, and in boy baby clothes.

Coral is a baby purple hedgehog, neck length quills, emerald green eyes, and in girl baby clothes.

...

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Amy's Bedroom.

Night Time.

Amy's night clothes, a dark pink nightgown and long grey pants.

Amy Rose had always known that she wanted to be a mother.

Of course, when Amy was younger, a little girl, to be more precisely, she wanted to become a ballerina, then when she was a teenager a writer or a photographer. Maybe both. Finally, when Amy had to really choose a career, she decided to become a teacher although she continued her ballet lessons, wrote poetry and prose in her free time and took a lot of pictures on her hiking trips.

But Amy's wish for a child was always there, in the back of her mind, without her acting on it. Amy usually told herself that she still had time. To be honest, Amy was bad at romantic relationships and then, one day, she turned 24, without a current boyfriend, a potential husband and father to her children, in sight. Of course, Amy still had her job, her teaching position, and it wasn't difficult for her to fill her free time with a lot of activities, like reading, writing, meeting friends, travelling, learning new languages, but it wasn't enough to fill the void within her. Also, Amy was very determined, always wanted to do her job perfectly, so that she didn't really have time to meet new people, especially men but becoming a mother without a man is not that easy.

Therefore, Amy informed herself about her options. Of course, Amy could always go to a sperm bank in order to get impregnated but that option was not really appealing to her, she preferred to have a real relationship, to have a real father for her child, not only a number from the register, although she didn't really dismiss that option, maybe in a couple of years, when she was older, when she had no other possibility left, she would do that, but not now, she was still young.

And then, per chance, Amy stumbled across this website where men and women expressed their wishes to become a parent. It didn't mean that they were looking for a romantic relationship, it was only about becoming parents. So, women were looking for sperm donors and men offered to donor their sperm, often including something which was called co-parenting, so that they could help raising the child, having an active role in the child's life without being involved in a romantic relationship with the mother.

The more Amy thought about it, the more this option appealed to her.

So one Friday night she was browsing through all the profiles, looking for a suitable father for her child, sipping a glass of wine. Next to Amy, on her desk, was a huge pile of students' papers she had to grade, but that could wait. Amy's mind was set on something else. Amy knew that for her a mere sperm donor would not be enough, she wanted the father to play some part in her child's life and then she found their profile.

2 hedgehog brothers, looking different but similar at the same time, cobalt blue hedgehog with his spiky quills facing downward and emerald green eyes, and the other a black and red hedgehog as most of his quills were upward and some were downward with red marks, white furred chest, and crimson red eyes. Amy was fascinated as both of them had muscles and abs. Frankly, whereas some women always seemed to fall for the same type, preferring only dark colored animal men, Amy liked both.

While reading the details of the 2 brothers' profile Amy was relieved to find out that they did not only want to donor their sperm, but were also interested in being a co-parent and they preferred that the potential mother of their child wanted to be impregnated by the two of them, either by insemination or naturally, that they would share all rights and obligations equally. Furthermore, they claimed that they had tested negative for STDs including HIV and Hepatitis as well as Chlamydia, HPV, Gonorrhea and Syphilis and the test results were not older than 2 months. Other profiles lacked that information completely or only mentioned negative test results for HIV and Hepatitis, the results being 5 months old.

For Amy it was clear that she wanted to try with them and she wanted to try with both.

That is, if they were interested in trying with Amy as she was younger than them, after all. RoyalDarkness, that was the black and red hedgehog's user name, was more than 4 years older than her, BlueBlur, that was how the cobalt blue hedgehog called himself, more than 2. There was only one way to find out: Amy had to send them a private message.

Amy took another sip of wine with her left hand to find her courage and wrote to them, introducing herself, telling them about her wish for a child and why she opted for a sperm donor or 2 in that case and co-parenting. Afterwards Amy was having second thoughts, but the deed was done, her message was on its way, there was nothing she could do now except from waiting for a response.

Amy finished her glass of wine and went to bed.

...

Tomorrow.

Morning.

Amy couldn't believe her eyes.

The 2 brothers had actually responded to Amy's private message, expressing their interest in getting to know her better, assuming that a woman who called herself Rosy the Rascal could only be awesome. Amy had to admit to herself that she created this user name one dark and lonely night under the influence of strong red wine.

Furthermore they went a little more into detail about why they went for this option to father a child: They had never been separated from each other since their childhood even still sharing a room as adults, they were raised by their mother and 2 uncles, until their younger uncle died in some kind of accident, they didn't really went into detail about this, but Amy also didn't want to know at this point). Up to now, no girl or woman could understand the strong bond between them, thus it was difficult for them to find a girlfriend, but they were sure about their desire to start a family.

Also important to Amy was the fact that they didn't live that far away from her. It would only take 30 to 40, minutes by car for them to reach Amy's hometown Station Square or for her to reach theirs, New Mobotropolis and they seemed to be interested in getting to know her personally, promising to bring all the required documents and certificates with them as well as some pictures of them when they were children.

Amy hesitated for a moment that was a big step she was about to take. Amy really needed to be sure about her wish for a child, especially if she was to do it like this. Therefore Amy decided to go about her normal morning routine first, doing yoga, having a shower, eating breakfast before responding.

But since Amy couldn't find any argument against getting to know the 2 brothers personally, after all, it didn't mean that they would start trying immediately, she proposed a meeting between the 3 of them in a café in her hometown.

_"Crème de la Crème."_ Amy thought as she pressed the enter button with her right index finger and sent the message on its way.

The whole Saturday, Amy was nervously waiting for a reply, regularly checking her inbox for a new message while grading her students' papers, but there wasn't any response. Amy didn't understand. They had been so interested in getting to know Amy in their last message. What was the reason for them not answering now?

...

Noon.

Scourge, her older twin brother, came home from wherever he had been, slamming the door behind him, heading straight to his bedroom.

Amy sighed.

That could only mean one thing: Scourge and his long-term boyfriend, actually it was more of an on-off relationship had a fight. To distract herself, Amy decided to go to Scourge, talk to him, comfort him if necessary. Scourge cried a good deal into his pillow, sobbing that this time it was really over between him and Storm and why was he so bad at relationships? Amy just rubbed Scourge's back with her right hand, handed him clean handkerchiefs with her left hand and asked herself the same question.

_"Why were they so bad at something most people took for granted? Maybe they had to blame their parents for this."_ Amy thought.

"You are doing it right, Amy, you don't give your heart to anyone." Scourge said, wiping away his tears, blowing his nose with both of his hands. "From now on I will enjoy being single, like you!"

Scourge stood up, went into the living room and inspected their DVD collection.

Amy joined Scourge.

"Fancy watching a sad film with me?" Scourge asked.

Amy shook her head. "I'm sorry, there are still those papers I have to grade. Maybe later." she said.

Scourge nodded absentmindedly while reading the text on the back of a DVD case.

Amy went back to her small office, continuing grading papers and occasionally checking her inbox for new messages.

...

Evening.

Amy did receive a new message from them, late in the evening. They were apologizing for not answering sooner, but they had to deal with a few family issues first before they could take her up on her offer to meet them at the café, like she proposed. It was even possible for them to meet Amy the next day, like she suggested if she didn't already have any other plans, that is, they kept her waiting, after all.

Amy answered that no she didn't have any other plans, and she was looking forward to meeting them at 3:00 at the Crème de la Crème. They promised to be there. With a smile, Amy shut down the computer and joined Scourge in the living room to watch a sad film on DVD.

…

Tomorrow.

Day Time.

Crème de la Crème.

It was only a twenty minute walk from the apartment she shared with Scourge to the Crème de la Crème Café.

Before entering, Amy took a deep breath then opened the door with her left hand. The café was crowded, as was usual for a Sunday afternoon. Amy let her eyes wander over the different guests, hoping to spot RoyalDarkness and BlueBlur among them, a part of her fearing that they didn't come, that they had changed their mind.

But then Amy saw them, sitting at a table in the back, the black and red one and his cobalt blue younger brother. They were even more handsome than their pictures suggested but they were not alone. A hedgehog woman with long, wild purple fur with no quills who looked as if she was in her late 40s or early 50s was sitting with them. From left to right, the purple hedgehog, the cobalt blue hedgehog, and the black and red hedgehog.

Amy froze. _"What was the meaning of this?"_ she thought.

For a moment Amy hesitated. Maybe it was better Amy left but before she could act upon her idea RoyalDarkness spotted her, waved her over to their table with his right hand, calling her by her username.

"Hey, Rosy the Rascal!" the black and red hedgehog said.

That caught the attention of not only his younger brother and the purple-quill less hedgehog woman, but also of a few other guests who glanced curiously at her.

Amy felt that she was blushing, but there was no chance that she could leave now without drawing more attention to herself. So, Amy bravely walked over to the table, smiling nervously.

"Hello, I'm glad you found it!" Amy said.

Honestly, the whole situation was awkward and Amy didn't know what else to say.

The black and red hedgehog grinned sneakily, the purple hedgehog woman scrutinized her with a raised eyebrow, the cobalt blue hedgehog smiled friendly at Amy

"We are glad you are here, come, have a seat." the purple hedgehog woman said, politely and Amy sat down, opposite from them. "Maybe I should introduce myself." the woman said. "My name is Aleena the Hedgehog. I'm the mother of these 2 rascals."

_"She seems to be less stern than she looks."_ Amy thought, smiling at them while introducing herself. "I'm Amy Rose. And to be honest, I wasn't expecting anyone else, except from-" she said as she hesitated a moment, then referred to the 2 hedgehog brothers with their user names because she didn't know their real names. "'RoyalDarkness and BlueBlur.'"

The black and red hedgehog male groaned while his younger cobalt blue hedgehog brother laughed.

Aleena looked at her sons. "That is how you call yourselves? Really? No wonder you get so little responses from women. Those are childish names." she said, scolding them.

Amy disagreed as she found their names rather endearing but didn't tell her.

The black and red hedgehog male cleared his throat. "Please excuse our mother. She tends to forget that we are fully grown men who can make their own decisions. By the way, my real name is Shadow." he said, introducing himself.

"And I'm Sonic." the cobalt blue hedgehog said. "At your service!"

A young brown squirrel waitress came over to their table, bringing some hot beverages. Obviously, the the Hedgehogs had already ordered before Amy arrived.

"What can I do for you?" the waitress asked Amy.

"I'd like a peppermint mocha, please." Amy said.

The waitress jotted something down on her notepad with her right hand then nodded and left. For a moment, there was silence while each of the the Hedgehog's sipped their drinks. Amy waited.

"So, Amy or do you prefer to be called Miss Rose?" Aleena asked.

Amy shook her head. "No, Amy is fine, Mrs. the Hedgehog." she said.

Aleena smiled. "It's Ms. the Hedgehog, I've never been married. But please call me Aleena. After all, if everything goes according to plan, you will soon be carrying my grandchild." she said.

Amy blushed furiously.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Mom! You are embarrassing!" he said.

Aleena lifted her hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm just talking business. That's the reason why we are all here today, isn't it?" she asked.

Amy had to admit that Aleena had a point there but Amy had expected to meet only the 2 brothers, not their mother as well.

_"Why was she here, anyway? Didn't she trust her sons to make the right decisions? Was she afraid they could make any mistakes?"_ Amy thought.

"Yes, that's why I'm here, to get to know Shadow and Sonic, to find out if I want them to be the fathers of my child." Amy said.

Aleena understood that Amy hadn't expected to meet her as well.

Aleena smiled knowingly at Amy. "Well, my dear, I think that you have already made that decision, haven't you. This meeting is just a formality." she said.

Amy blushed again as she couldn't remember when she had ever been blushing that much in her life.

Aleena continued talking, taking a manila envelope out of her green bag with her right hand. "So, we brought everything with us, here are my sons' negative test results for STDs, by the way, we will need yours as well, their spermiogram. I hope you can prove that you are fertile, the contract about their rights and obligations as fathers and yours as the mother, some pictures of them when they were little, copies of their secondary school qualifications and Shadow's degree in business studies again, we will also need some proof of your qualifications." she said then handed the envelope over to Amy with her right hand then she stood up. "So, now try to get to know each other. In the meantime I will run some errands. When shall I pick you two up again?"

Shadow and Sonic looked at each other for a moment.

"I don't know, maybe in an hour?" Shadow questioned.

Aleena nodded. "Well, I'll be here. Have fun!" she said then she left the Shadow, Sonic, and Amy alone, almost colliding with the waitress who brought Amy's mocha.

"I'm sorry, but our mother insisted on accompanying us." Shadow said. "In the past we had some rather odd encounters with really strange women who were registered on that website."

Amy gave Shadow a sympathetic look. "It's okay." she said.

Sonic looked really upset. "No, it's not." he said. "I can understand if you are no longer interested!"

Amy frowned. "Why would I not be interested anymore?" she asked.

Shadow snorted. "Because we brought our mother to the first meeting with the potential mother of our child." he said.

Amy smiled at Shadow and Sonic. "It just means she cares for you. A lot. And if my mother had known what I was about to do today, I think she would have wanted to accompany me as well. Just to keep me safe. But I didn't tell her." she said.

Amy didn't mention that her mother lived abroad. "Frankly, I didn't tell anyone because..." she said but she didn't finish the sentence, unsure of what she wanted to convey.

"Because?" Shadow asked.

Amy sighed. "Well, it's not easy to admit that you desire a child more than anything else in your life, although your life is good, you have an awesome job, you have wonderful friends and a loving family, but something is missing. And you have difficulties to find the right partner or to keep a functional relationship. That you are single, not because you want to be, but because you are difficult." she said.

It was the first time Amy ever admitted that to herself, let alone anyone else.

The 2 hedgehog brothers exchanged a look for a moment.

Sonic reached for Amy's right hand with his left hand. "It's okay. We understand. Hell, if you think you are difficult, it just means you don't know us!" he said.

This prompted Shadow to nudge his younger brother with his left elbow.

"Well, perfect Sonic! Now she certainly is no longer interested!" Shadow said.

This caused Amy to laugh. Amy liked Shadow and Sonic, she really did and wasn't that a good starting point? If Amy really was to have a child with Shadow and Sonic, then it was important that they all got along.

Amy's outburst and the 2 hedgehog brothers' good sense of humor broke the ice. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy started to talk, really talk, about this and that, about their childhood experiences, their families and friends, their jobs, their interests, their future.

Amy opened the envelope with both hands, looked at all the documents and certificates, frowning. "You are so well prepared for this, I don't have anything with me that might keep your interest in me as a co-parent." she said.

Sonic snorted. "Really? This is how you think? Well, you brought yourself, that is more than enough for us. As soon as I saw your picture I thought, Hell this is the mother of my future children!" he asked.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Well, of course I saw your picture, but I also read your profile. That is what convinced me that you were perfect for us." he said.

Amy looked at Shadow skeptically.

Shadow tried to elaborate. "Of course, only as the mother of our child, nothing more. We don't expect anything else from you." he said.

Sonic sighed. "No wonder we are single, do you hear yourself talking?" he asked then he turned to Amy. "I guess what he is trying to say is that, of course, we like you and find you very interesting, but we also know that this is only about having a child together."

Shadow nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, you have something we need and we have something you need to create a child. That's all." he said.

Amy tried to remain serious, but failed, clasping her left hand to her mouth she laughed. "You two are really adorable, do you know that?" she asked.

Confused, Shadow and Sonic looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, thanks, I take it as a compliment." Sonic finally said.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy continued talking and joking, until Aleena came back, carrying several brown paper bags with goods from the local farmer's market with both hands.

Aleena smiled fondly at Shadow, Sonic, and Amy. "So, I see, you 3 did get along." she said.

Sonic beamed at his mother. "Yeah, she is wonderful, Mom!" he said.

Amy felt her stomach clench.

Sonic shouldn't think about Amy like that, as if he was falling for her. This was supposed to be almost business-like, uncomplicated. But if Sonic started to fall in love with Amy, the whole affair could become very complicated, especially when she became pregnant with Sonic's or Shadow's child. Shadow seemed to notice something as well because he scrutinized his younger brother critically.

Aleena, however, seemed to be happy about her younger son's enthusiasm. "Well, that's great." she said then she raised her right hand and checked her brown watch. "Unfortunately, we have to go now. Amy, it was a pleasure to meet you and I think you left quite the impression on my sons. You got all the papers you need to make your decision. Please don't forget to bring the required documents and certificates we need from you the next time you meet my sons, so we can make ours. Now I have to go home and cook dinner for the family. Come on, boys!"

The 2 hedgehog brothers turned towards Amy, saying their goodbyes, shaking her hands, first Shadow then Sonic. With one final look in Amy's direction, Aleena, Shadow, and Sonic left the café.

Clutching the white manila envelope to Amy's chest with both hands, staring into empty space, Amy tried to make up her mind.

* * *

End of Chapter 1.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

Everyone in their usual outfits.

...

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Living Room.

Afternoon.

When Amy came home later that afternoon, still clutching the white envelope, Scourge was waiting for her, sitting on the cream-colored leather couch in their living room.

"Where have you been?" Scourge asked.

For a moment Amy hesitated then she faced her older twin brother, deciding to go for a half-truth.

"I met with some friends." Amy said.

Scourge narrowed his eyes. "Who?" he asked.

Amy took her time, putting the envelope down on the coffee table with her right hand and taking off her shoes with both hands. "You don't know them." she said.

When Amy left earlier this afternoon, Scourge had still been in his room, refusing to come out and listening to some sad love songs, drowning in self pity. Honestly, Amy was convinced that her absence would go unnoticed but it didn't.

Scourge's gaze wandered to the envelope. "What's this?" he asked.

"Oh, um, just some... papers." Amy said.

Scourge frowned. "Papers." he said, skeptically.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake. Can't you stop being so inquisitive? I'm an adult! I can do whatever I want as long as I don't hurt anyone!" she asked, picking up the envelope with her right hand.

Amy didn't look at Scourge as she stormed off, heading for her bedroom.

After shutting the door behind her with her left hand, Amy went straight to her bed, sitting down on the quilt in different shades of red her mother had made for her for her 18th birthday, before moving abroad, leaving her husband and children behind.

Amy opened the manila envelope again with both hands, pouring out its contents, spreading everything on her bed around her, contemplating. Amy had to admit that Shadow's and Sonic's mother was right. A part of Amy, a more instinctive than rational part, had already decided that she wanted to have a child with the 2 hedgehog brothers. Now Amy just had to figure out if that would be a wise decision.

A knock at the door.

"Ames, can I come in?" Scourge asked.

Amy sighed. "Yes, of course." she said, starting to pile up all the papers in order to put them back into the envelope with both hands.

Scourge opened the door with his right hand and walked in. "Let's please not fight, okay? I have enough of fighting. And it wasn't my intention to-" he said but stopped, looking at the pictures of Shadow and Sonic, Amy hadn't yet put back into the envelope.

"Who are those 2 guys?" Scourge asked.

Amy hesitated. Should Amy let Scourge in into her secret, that she had set her mind on becoming a mother, taking the first steps into that direction? Scourge was Amy's brother, her twin brother, after all. Scourge and Amy had shared their mother's womb, so wasn't it natural to share other things as well?

"Well, the friends I told you about, the friends I met today, I met them online first. These pictures are pictures of them when they were children." Amy said.

Scourge frowned, crossing the room and joining Amy on the bed. "I don't understand. Why did they give you pictures of them when they were children?" he asked.

Amy took a deep breath. That was more difficult for Amy than she had thought.

"It... could be interesting for me. Because I want them to be the fathers of my child. It might give me an idea how my child could look like." Amy said.

Scourge shook his head. "You don't make much sense, Amy. Are you dating them or what? By they way, are you dating two guys at the same time? That doesn't sound like you. At all."

Amy sighed. If Amy wanted Scourge to understand, really understand, she had to start from the beginning. So Amy told Scourge about her wish for a child, about her joining the website and finding Shadow and Sonic, their exchange of messages, the first meeting. At first Amy was hesitant about mentioning her encounter with Aleena because retrospectively she had to admit that it was weird but a part of her was glad to have met that woman.

"She is a real mama bear, Scourge. Really! To some extent she reminded me of our mother, before-" Amy said but stopped.

Scourge did. "Before she abandoned us? Before father started drinking?" he questioned.

Amy sighed again. "She didn't abandon us. She simply moved away. You could visit her, you know. Like I do. She always asks about you." she said.

Scourge smiled sadly. "If she had stayed with us, she wouldn't have to ask. Then she could see for herself." he said.

Amy knew that Scourge was still hurting because their mother had left them shortly after their 18th birthday. Whenever their mother called, Scourge refused to talk to her, just handing the telephone over to Amy. But Amy knew that their mother had her reasons for leaving like that and Amy understood. Scourge didn't and won't even want to try.

"Anyway, let's not talk about mother, let's talk about you." Scourge said, changing the subject. "How serious is that wish of yours? Do you really consider getting impregnated by 2 strangers?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course, why else would I have met with them?" she asked.

Scourge shrugged. "Just checking. Can I have a look at those papers?" he asked.

Amy nodded, handing the envelope over with her right hand.

Scourge took his time, perusing every document as if his life depended on it with both hands. Finally Scourge looked up, smiling at Amy.

"I think they're a good choice, Amy, really. Especially the fact that they are completely clean reassures me. Because, you know, if you want to get pregnant, you will have to do it with them without any protection." Scourge said.

Amy blushed.

It wasn't the first time that Scourge and Amy talked about sex, but usually it was about his sexual encounters or lack thereof, not hers. Maybe Scourge believed Amy was still a virgin, for all she knew.

"Thank you, I know how it works." Amy said disrespectfully, taking the papers back from Scourge with her right hand.

...

5 Days Later.

Station Square.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Amy's Bedroom.

Evening Time.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy met again next Friday night.

This time in Shadow's and Sonic's hometown, New Mobotropolis, though it was rather a village, as they admitted, at their favorite tavern, Stardust. Frankly, it was the only tavern in the village in walking distance from their home.

While Amy was getting ready, Scourge curiously observed her styling efforts.

"Don't you think it's too much? You don't go to the Oscar's, after all, just some rural boozer." Scourge asked.

Amy, who was currently straightening her hair with both hands, caught Scourge gaze in the mirror. "You are really disrespectful. We are not living in a metropolitan area either." she said.

Scourge shrugged. "At least our town is bigger than theirs. And you can find its name on every map. I didn't find theirs!" he said.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Honestly Scourge, don't you have anywhere else to be? It's Friday night! Go out. Have fun." she said.

Scourge sniffled. "You are heartless. You know very well that I'm not in the mood. I don't like going out alone. And there is no one left I could go out with, you have your own life now, our friends have their own lives, and Jet and I are history. There is no way I will ever forgive him for what he did to me!" he said.

Amy felt awful as Scourge had told her about Jet's infidelity, one of the reasons why he thought that Shadow's and Sonic's negative test results for almost all STDs were definitely a huge pro for choosing them as fathers for her child. Scourge had confessed that, of course, he and Jet had usually been safe when having sex, but not always, which meant that he had to get tested and was now waiting for his results.

"I'm sorry, Scourge. But if this is really over between you and Jet, you have to start from scratch, find someone else, be happy!" Amy said.

Scourge smiled sadly, watching Amy straighten her quills before she placed her red hairband with both hands. Amy was dressed in her usual outfit.

"I don't think I will ever find someone who loves me unconditionally. We are cursed, Ames. We are cursed since the day our parents conceived us. Why else would my beautiful, kind and intelligent twin sister opt for... sperm donors and co-parentship in order to become a mother? If anyone, then it would have been you who deserved a happily ever after with prince charming." Scourge asked.

Amy was touched as her older twin brother was really depressed and she felt bad for leaving Scourge alone in his state but once in her life she had to be selfish. If Amy backed out now then maybe Shadow and Sonic would find another woman who wanted to become the mother of their child and she was somehow sure that she didn't want any other animal men to father her child, though she didn't know why.

Sighing, Amy turned towards her older twin brother, embracing Scourge with both hands, pressing their foreheads together, something they hadn't done for years, interestingly, she remembered something her mother had told her once, that as babies she and Scourge were always seeking each other's closeness, cuddling and embracing each other, even directly after birth.

"Scourge, do me the favor and go out! Don't stay home alone! At least go over to father's, spend the evening with him. He is as lonely as you." Amy said.

Scourge took a deep breath and then he nodded. "Yeah, you are right, I'm just being stupid. Have fun tonight, sis, but please don't get pregnant right now, okay? I'd like to meet them before you... you know!" he said, winking at Amy then left her alone, so that she could finish putting on her gloves before going out in order to meet the potential fathers of her child.

...

1 hour later.

New Mobotroplis.

Night Time.

Amy didn't arrive on time, though this was due to the fact that the village's name wasn't sign posted on the highway, only the neighboring villages. Thus, Amy missed the right exit which cost her 15 minutes but the pub itself was easy to find. And, as expected, there was enough parking space in front since most patrons came by foot.

...

Stardust.

When Amy entered the tavern, the locals stared at her which made her nervous.

_"They know."_ Amy thought.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy know that you are not able to have a functional relationship and therefore want to become pregnant like this. Amy's first impulse was to bolt, but then she somehow found her courage.

_"Who cared what they thought?"_ Amy thought.

Holding her head high, Amy looked around searching for Shadow and Sonic and then she found them, close to the bar. Amy would never forget the expression of pure happiness on Sonic's face as soon as he spotted her, nudging his older brother with his left hand, so that Shadow also turned into her direction, smiling shyly.

Amy took a deep breath and walked over to Shadow and Sonic.

"Hey, hi." Amy said and felt that her enthusiasm sounded fake.

Nevertheless, Sonic beamed at Amy. "Glad you came! We were almost afraid you had changed your mind!" he said, seeming so sincere that Amy felt bad for her earlier observations of leaving.

"I'm sorry for being late, I missed the right exit on the highway." Amy said.

Shadow shrugged. "That happens to everyone who doesn't live here. Come, have a seat." he said standing up, straightening Amy's chair with both hands.

Shadow and Sonic seemed to be so eager in doing everything right, it was really endearing.

Once Amy was seated, Shadow asked her what she wanted to drink. Noticing the tankards of ale in front the 2 hedgehog brothers.

"Oh, something without alcohol, please, like table water or some juice, I have to drive, after all." Amy said.

Shadow and Sonic looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, if it comes to that you can stay at our place. Mom is quite fond of you, told us not to screw it up tonight." Sonic said.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Well, I think you just did, Sonic. But anyway, we have some spare bedrooms at home. And mom loves guests, so..." he said.

Amy nodded.

If Amy was honest to herself, she needed something with alcohol in it to survive the evening, being almost as nervous as when she took her finals, graduating from university.

"Thanks for the offer, by the way. In that case... what about some wine then?" Amy asked.

Shadow looked relieved. "I'm sure that's no problem." he said then signaled for the barkeeper to come over. "So, Vector, what wines do you have?"

The green crocodile, who was wearing a gold chain, looked surprised. "Well, the usual, of course, red, white, rosé, sweet, medium-dry, dry..." Vector said.

Shadow sent an asking glance in Amy's direction and she smiled a charming smile, saying.

"A medium-dry rosé would be fine." Amy said.

Vector looked at Amy as if noticing her presence for the first time then nodding into her direction. "Of course, at your service, miss!" he said.

Amy looked questioningly at Shadow and Sonic who simply looked at each other, shrugging, before answering.

"Well, I think it's some kind of insider joke, you'll get used to it." Sonic said.

Amy simply nodded, not asking why she should get used to it.

_"Wasn't that implying much more than only having a child together?"_ Amy thought.

However, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy spend a pleasurable evening.

Whereas the conversation during Shadow, Sonic, and Amy's first meeting revolved more around their lives in general, their jobs, their families, their interests, they now went into detail. Shadow and Sonic had already told Amy that they were both working in the family business, that being a small workshop for wood and metalworking, but now they elaborated on the kind of things which were built in the workshop, like furniture, fences, doors, sculptures, sometimes according to customer wishes, sometimes their own designs.

"Wow, that sounds amazing." Amy said, sipping her wine with her left hand and it was already her second glass.

Sonic shrugged. "Well, that depends. Although Shadow and I are also sometimes creating stuff, we have mostly other tasks to fulfill, like, in Shadow's case, taking the photos of the completed works for our website and me running this website." he said then took a sip from his ale with his right hand.

Shadow elaborated. "Of course, there is more what he and I do in the family business, I, for example, help our uncle run this business, whereas Sonic deals with the customers, taking orders, reacting to their complaints and such." he said.

Amy was impressed. That would explain why Shadow and Sonic still lived at home, so they were not simply momma's boys. Of course Amy had checked out the website, after Shadow and Sonic had told her about the workshop. Just to make sure that it wasn't made up because technically they were strangers, they could tell her anything. Amy was relieved the workshop existed, the website even featured pictures of the staff and she recognized Shadow, Sonic and Aleena, so they had told her the truth.

"Well, what about you, Amy? You said you were a teacher?" Amy asked, nodding. "Yes."

Amy told Shadow and Sonic about her teaching job at the local grammar school in her hometown. When Amy ordered another glass of wine, Vector brought the bottle over to their table with his left hand.

"Here, lass, drink as much as you want, you are the only one here drinking wine tonight anyway!" Vector said then he left again.

Amy looked confused at Shadow and Sonic.

The 2 hedgehog brothers shrugged.

"The people here prefer ale, mead or even stronger stuff, like whiskey and corn schnapps. But of course there are exceptions. Uncle Charles, for example, likes the dry, red wine they serve here and mom and Chuck also drink wine, although mom prefers white wine and Chuck the sweet ones." Sonic said.

Amy raised her left eyebrow. "You mentioned this Chuck before, but I'm afraid I don't really understand how you are related to him." she said.

Shadow and Sonic exchanged a look for a moment.

"Well, it's complicated." Shadow said. "Technically we aren't, that's why we like to refer to him as a family friend. But you will find out for yourself soon enough."

Amy decided not to press Shadow and Sonic further on the subject, instead she started to talk about her own family, that she and her older twin brother shared an apartment, explaining that her parents were not divorced but living separately, her mother even in another country, that their only other living blood relatives were a grandfather and a grandmother, the grandfather being their father's father, the grandmother their mother's mother, but they weren't really close.

By the end of the evening, Amy had emptied the wine bottle to 2/3s and Sonic had already finished his 3rd pint of ale whereas Shadow was still drinking number 3. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy decided to call it a night and after settling the bill, left.

"So, I can't believe you will spend the night at our home." Sonic said as he, Shadow, and Amy walked down the street.

Amy remained silent as she was brooding, not fully understanding why she agreed so quickly to staying at Shadow's and Sonic's house. Shadow and Sonic were strangers to her but the fact that she had already met their mother somehow let her feel safe with them.

"Shh, quiet, if we wake up little Manik, mom and uncle will have our heads." Sonic said after unlocking the door with his right hand.

"Little Manik?" Amy asked.

"Our... baby brother." Shadow said.

Amy stared unbelievingly at Shadow and Sonic. "Baby brother?" she asked.

Sonic nodded enthusiasticly. "Yeah, he is almost 6 and really cute!" he said.

Surprised, Amy shook her head. "I didn't know you had another brother." she said.

Shadow shrugged. "Well, he was the reason for our wish to become fathers." he said. "When he was born, we were grown up and acted rather as surrogate fathers than big brothers when we babysat him."

Amy nodded, trying to imagine what it would be like to be a part of such big family.

Sonic seemed to read her thoughts. "Tomorrow morning you are going to experience our family life first hand, at breakfast. If we are lucky, Chuck will be making his famous buttermilk pancakes." he said.

Amy smiled. "That sounds great." she said, really looking forward to it.

...

Guest Room.

Morning.

Amy woke up because somebody knocked at her door.

When sitting up in bed Amy needed a moment to figure out where she was. Of course, the guest bedroom in Shadow's and Sonic's house.

"Yes?" Amy asked through the closed door.

"Good morning! I hope you slept well. Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes!" Shadow said.

Amy took a look at her watch on her left arm, lying on the bedside table. It was 8:45 a.m. "Thank you." she said and started to get up.

The guest bedroom Shadow and Sonic had given Amy last night had a small bathroom attached to it, complete with a toilet, a sink, and a shower with shampoo and body wash. Shadow had given Amy some fresh towels, a toothbrush and toothpaste whereas Sonic had shown her that there were some spare clothes in the old wardrobe, a faded blue shirt and light grey pants, in the bedroom which she could borrow then they had left her alone for the night.

When going out, Amy always took clean underwear and other daily necessities with her, so taking a shower and freshing up was not a problem.

...

10 minutes later.

Amy went down the stairs as her quills falling down her back in a simple braid.

Downstairs, Amy almost collided with a small sky blue hedgehog boy as he was wearing blue pajamas with red and green planes printed on them, holding a greyish brown knitted teddy bear in his arms and stared at her from big, dark blue eyes, the same blue as Aleena's eyes.

Amy froze.

That was surely little Manik.

"Oh, hello, there." Amy said, smiling.

The little hedgehog boy smiled shyly back then vanished through one of the 5 doors, leading away from the corridor.

"Manik? Hey, Manik! Come on, you have to get dressed for the day. We are all dressed. You can't run around in your pajama's when we have a guest!" Sonic asked, coming from behind one of the other doors. Soon after, Sonic walked onto the corridor, almost instantly smiling as he noticed Amy.

"Hey, Amy, good morning. Did you sleep well?" Sonic asked.

Amy smiled back. "Oh, yes, thank you." she said.

Sonic and Amy fell silent for a while, just looking at each other. Amy started to feel uncomfortable, when Sonic suddenly seemed to remember, why he was here.

"Oh, by the way, did you see a little boy running around in his pajamas? My task is to dress him, but he has escaped while I was putting out his clothes." Sonic asked.

Amy nodded, saying. "Yes, he just ran into there." she said while pointing to the door the boy just had gone through with her left index finger.

Sonic looked relieved. "Thank you so much, Amy. See you at the breakfast table!" he said before he went through the same door like Manik did a couple of moments ago.

Amy still didn't know which way the kitchen was so she took it upon herself to try the different doors until she was lucky.

The kitchen was rather big, of course bigger than Amy and Scourge's kitchen, but even bigger than the kitchen in her parents' or father's, to be more precisely house. Shadow was already there, as was Aleena, both of them busy with putting finishing touches to the table which was set for 7, while a slightly tall grey-blue hedgehog with a friendly face was piling pancakes on several plates.

"Good morning." Amy said to get their attention.

All 3 adults looked into Amy's direction, Shadow smiling slightly, Aleena scrutinizing her, then nodding into her direction, the slightly tall grey-blue hedgehog man beaming at her, putting pan and pancake turner aside, wiping his hands on his brown apron.

"Good morning, Amy, I'm Chuck!" the grey-blue hedgehog said walking towards Amy, his right hand extended.

Amy shook Chuck's right hand with her left hand. "Nice to meet you, Chuck." she said. _"So, this is the family friend."_ she thought to herself.

"You are right on time, the pancakes are ready! Oh, by the way, do you drink coffee or tea?" Chuck asked.

Amy smiled at Chuck. "Coffee, please. Can I help you somehow?" she asked.

Chuck shook his head. "This is not necessary. You are our guest. So, please sit down!" he said, gesturing to the table until Amy did just that.

Apparently there were no fixed sitting arrangements in the Hedgehog household.

Only a moment later, Shadow placed a pot with hot, black coffee in front of Amy with his right hand, then sitting down next to her while Chuck handed her a plate with pancakes with both hands.

"Thank you." Amy said to both Chuck and Shadow.

Chuck smiled at Amy. "You're welcome. And, oh, you should try those with Aleena homemade marmalade. She is a goddess in the kitchen!" he said, looking at Aleena admiringly and Amy wondered for a moment if they were lovers. Amy put a small blob of the marmalade onto her plate with her right hand.

Then, the door to the kitchen opened and the same little sky blue hedgehog boy Amy had encountered before rushed into the room, still only half-dressed, wearing his pajama bottoms and a dark blue jumper. Sonic was hot on his heels, but he was not alone. A somber cobalt blue muscular hedgehog male with a regal poise accompanied him.

"So, little Manik beat you again at this let's-not-get-properly-dressed-game." Shadow said, sarcastically.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Well, yes, it seems he has mastered that discipline." he said, before sitting down in a chair next to his older brother, while the little hedgehog boy headed right into Chuck's direction, wrapping his short arms around the older hedgehog man's leg, giggling.

"Daddy!" Manik said.

Amy looked questioningly at Shadow and Sonic.

Sonic simply shrugged. "You explain, brother!" he said.

Shadow sighed. "There's not much to explain. Chuck is Manik's father and our mother is his mother as well, but they are not really a couple in the classical sense, I think, although Chuck is living with us." he said.

If Amy was honest, she would have to admit that this explanation didn't make anything any clearer to her. The brothers started eating their pancakes. Amy's confusion, however, must have shown on her face, because Aleena elaborated.

"I love children, always wanted to have 3 or 4, but didn't find the right partner. I have to admit that Shadow wasn't planned, I was only 20 when I had him, and my boyfriend at that time, Shadow's biological father, was not the kind of guy you would introduce to your parents, let alone marry. So I became a single working mom. And I loved it to be a mother! So that was when I decided to have another child, Sonic. His father and I had a brief affair, it was nothing serious. But by then I knew I didn't need a partner or husband at my side in order to raise children, I had my family, my brothers, who supported me after all and were father figures to my sons." Aleena said then paused and let her gaze wander to the blue-grey hedgehog male who was still standing on the threshold.

Chuck smiled slightly and Amy noticed how handsome he actually was, despite being in his early 50s. Amy could see the family resemblance between Chuck, Shadow, and Sonic.

_"This must be their uncle."_ Amy thought.

Then Aleena continued. "Of course, being a mother of 2, working full time in the family business and being a part-time student at the community college took all of my time, so that I delayed my plan of having more children. Especially after our parents' and brother's death, Charles and I had to work harder than usual to keep the workshop up and running." she said.

Aleena paused again and Amy realized that the hedgehog man had taken his place at the table, between Sonic and Aleena, eating breakfast.

Chuck sat next to Aleena, with Manik on his lap. "I met Aleena and Charles when I moved here to start my new teaching job as an English teacher." he said. "Sonic was one of my students and he struggled with this subject. I was concerned and had several talks with his mother and uncle and together we developed a strategy on how he could improve his performance, taking his disorder into account." he took a sip from his tea with his right hand.

Sonic cleared his throat. "I think you should know that I'm dyslexic, Amy. Of course, no one ever noticed before, all my teachers simply thought I was too stupid. But Chuck noticed and he helped me, contacted experts, linguists, speech and language therapists he knew from his university days, and tutored me. Now reading and writing doesn't bother me anymore. Of course, I make still mistakes when I'm nervous or stressed, but who doesn't? Thanks to Chuck, I learned strategies how to cope with my disorder." he asked.

Involuntarily, Amy thought about her own older twin brother who was diagnosed with dyscalculia. Poor Scourge as he also had to face people who thought he wasn't very intelligent due to his difficulties at dealing with numbers. Amy felt sorry for Sonic who had received a similar treatment.

"So that was how Aleena and I became friends." Chuck said.

In the meantime, Chuck had placed Manik on the chair next to him with both hands and cut his pancake into little pieces with his right hand which the 5 year old hedgehog boy started to eat happily.

"We talked about other things, then about our private lives, and at some point Aleena confessed her wish for another child. Me, I've always dreamed about being a father, but since I'm not that into women, never had a real relationship with one, I thought it would always remain just this: a dream. But thanks to Aleena, it didn't. Our little Manik is the proof of that!" Chuck said then he ruffled the little hedgehog boy's sky blue quills affectionately with his right hand.

Amy started to understand. That was the reason why Shadow's and Sonic's mother was so open-minded about her sons' decision to become co-parents. Amy's way of becoming a mother was not so different from that.

"So, now that you know half of our family story, I'd like to introduce myself. I apologize for not doing it sooner, but I didn't want to interrupt my sister or Chuck. I'm Charles, Shadow's and Sonic's uncle. And you are Amy, the potential mother of my grandnephew or grandniece. It's nice to finally meet you in person, since my nephews, especially Sonic, couldn't stop talking about you." the light blue hedgehog said.

Amy blushed again as she had the feeling that the younger of the 2 hedgehog brothers was falling for her. "Nice to meet you too, Charles."

...

20 minutes later.

They finished their breakfast in silence. Amy had to admit that Chuck's buttermilk pancakes with Aleena marmalade had been really good. Afterwards, as Sonic helped Chuck cleaning the table as they refused Amy's offer to help since she was their guest and Shadow decided to apply himself to the task of getting Manik dressed.

Aleena turned towards her with a serious expression. "So, Amy, do you have the required documents with you? It's not that I don't trust you, but business is business." she asked.

Amy nodded. "Yes, of course, I have some of the documents, but not all. I'm still waiting for some of the test results." she said, rummaging around in her handbag with her left hand for the folder she had compiled for this purpose and, after finding it, handed it over to Aleena, who grabbed it with her right hand and to her surprise, the hedgehog woman didn't open it. "Um, don't you want to take a look?"

Aleena smiled at Amy. "Of course, but I want to wait until Shadow and Sonic have finished their tasks and can have a look at it as well. After all, this concerns them more than me, doesn't it?" she asked.

Amy nodded.

Aleena was right. After Amy's first encounter with Shadow's and Sonic's mother, she got the impression that she had to deal with Aleena when it came to the formalities of this arrangement.

Charles stood up. "I'll go and get Shadow." he said.

Aleena nodded then turned towards her younger son. "Sonic, come have a seat. We want to have a look at Amy's folder." she said.

Sonic didn't need to be told twice, almost overturning a chair in his enthusiasm.

A short while later Shadow entered the kitchen, a smug smile on his face. "Guess what, little brother? I was able to convince Manik to take off his pajama bottoms and put on his shorts and shirt. He is now playing with Charles." he said as he sat down next to his mother.

Sonic glared at Sonic but, after a stern look from Aleena, remained quiet.

Amy felt nervous while the 2 hedgehog brothers and their mother took a look at all the papers she had put together, her graduation certificate, her university degree in English, her employment contract, pictures of her and some with Scourge as a child, her negative test results for HIV and Hepatitis.

"Well, boys, that looks great so far. Doesn't it?" Aleena asked her 2 sons.

Shadow simply nodded while still reading one of the documents.

Sonic on the other hand couldn't get enough of Amy's pictures as a child. "You were such a cute little girl! And your brother, this is your brother, isn't it? You looked also rather cute. I can only hope that our child will look like you!" he asked.

Amy blushed. "Well, thank you. But when I think of your and your brother's pictures, I can only say the same." she said.

Sonic looked up from the picture, beaming at Amy.

Shadow cleared his throat. "So, when will you get the other test results?" he asked.

Amy shrugged. "They are due next week." she said.

Shadow nodded, contemplating Amy's answer. "That's great! It means we can sign the contract before Christmas!" he said as he smiled at Amy

Amy returned the smile.

That meant that soon Amy would also somehow be a part of this unusual family.

* * *

End of Chapter 2.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

A week later.

Station Square.

Day Time.

When Amy got her remaining test results, she was happy.

Of course, they were all negative. Amy hadn't expected anything else.

As soon as Amy received them, she contacted Shadow and Sonic who really sounded relieved.

"Now we can all sign Maurice's contract and getting started with our baby." Sonic said on speaker.

Amy tensed.

Of course, Sonic was right, that had been the whole point of it all, to make a baby together, but until now the whole concept had been rather abstract to Amy.

Shadow laughed shyly. "Well, we won't start immediately, Sonic, that's for sure, there are some things we have to figure out first, like how we want to do it... Amy, we leave it up to you to choose between insemination or the natural way." he said.

Amy took a deep breath. Of course, Amy had done some research.

If Amy chose insemination, it would mean that the 2 donors would ejaculate their sperm into a container, the sperm then being either injected into her vagina, close to her cervix, or it would be put onto a so-called insemination cap (something looking like a diaphragm) which then would also be placed inside of her and ensured that the sperm had more time to find its way into her womb, without gravity taking its toll.

If Amy chose the natural way, on the other hand, it would mean that she would have to have sex with the 2 donors, as simple as that. Until now, Amy hadn't made up her mind about it.

"Thank you, I'll let you know about my decision as soon as I make it." Amy said, firmly pressing the receiver against her left ear. Shadow and Sonic all fell silent for a moment. Then, one of the 2 hedgehog brothers, through the phone Amy couldn't make out which one, cleared his throat.

"So shall we meet before Christmas then? To finally sign the contract? I know that mama wants to be present and since Maurice is our certifying notary, he needs to be too. That means we have to find a date that suits us all." Shadow asked, who made this proposition.

Sonic seemed to have a better idea. "Or we could do it at Christmas? Mom and Chuck are always cooking this impressive Christmas dinner together, on Christmas Eve, inviting the whole family and close friends. We will be there and Maurice will be there and you could come, too, Amy!" he asked.

Amy hesitated.

Shadow noticed. "Maybe she already has other plans, Sonic." he said.

Of course Amy had. Amy had always spent Christmas Eve with her father and Scourge of course, before her mother had left, they had spent Christmas together as a family, this year would be no exception.

"Do you? Have other plans, I mean?" Sonic asked.

Amy sighed. "Well, actually yes. But maybe I can postpone my plans, if you like?" she asked.

Of course Amy could. Amy could meet her father and brother on Christmas Day.

"No, please don't do that. We can ask mom to cook dinner for family and friends on Christmas Day. This way, you could come as well without cancelling your original plans." Sonic said.

Amy was contemplating Sonic's proposal. "Well, thank you, but I don't want to be a bother. I think I can manage with Christmas Eve." she said.

A part of Amy felt bad for leaving her father and brother alone together. Since their mother moved away, Amy's father liked his wine a little bit too much. And now, after his ultimate break-up with Jet, Scourge was also in a very fragile state, meaning he would turn to a wine bottle for comfort, too but they were grown-up men, perfectly able to take responsibility for their actions. Amy couldn't always be there to keep an eye on them.

And so, they agreed to meet on Christmas Eve at Shadow's and Sonic's family home to sign the contract.

Of course, Scourge was disappointed that she wouldn't spend the evening with him and their father, but understood. Derek on the other hand didn't take it that well and sounded rather offended.

"Go out, have fun, family isn't that important nowadays, is it?" Derek questioned.

Of course, Amy hadn't told her father that she would spend Christmas Eve with the potential fathers of her unborn or rather unconceived child and their family. Amy just told Derek that she was invited by some new friends. Nevertheless, Derek would get over it.

...

A few days later.

New Mobotroplis.

Day Time.

So, on Christmas Eve Amy stood in front of the the Hedgehog's door. Since Shadow and Sonic hinted at Amy being able to spend the night again at their place of course, only in the guestroom, they didn't imply anything else, she packed a knapsack with all the things she would need for the night and the next morning as well as her negative test results and 2 bottles of wine, a dry red wine and a medium-dry white wine.

Then taking a deep breath, Amy rang the bell. It didn't take long until a slightly tall young white hedgehog male with gold eyes and in his usual outfit opened the door with his right hand. "Who are you?" he asked quite gruffly, looking confused.

Amy opened her mouth to introduce herself until Sonic appeared behind him, wrapping his right arm around his neck.

"Silver, be nice, that's Amy, the mother of my children!" Sonic said.

Amy blushed while Silver frowned at her. Clearly, Sonic was already drunk. Thankfully, Shadow showed up right on time.

"Amy, great you are here. Mom and Chuck will be very happy!" Shadow said.

Shadow gestured for Amy to come inside, taking her bag with the bottles and test results from her with both hands, instructing Sonic to put her red coat on the coat rack.

Silver was still frowning at Amy. "She's a pink hedgehog and very light colors!" he said.

Amy didn't understand what Silver meant by that, but Sonic laughed and Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Of course she's a light pink hedgehog. Why wouldn't she? You have light colors." Shadow said.

Silver turned towards Shadow. "Your mother is a light colored hedgehog, as had almost all of your previous lovers." he said.

Amy felt uncomfortable.

Shadow cleared his throat. "So, Amy, this is our little cousin, Silver. He recently turned 23 years old and just has had a drop too much, please excuse his behavior." he said.

Amy smiled. "It's okay. It's Christmas." she said.

What Amy wanted to convey with that, she didn't know. Shadow took her left arm with his right arm and led her into the living room, closely followed by Sonic and Silver.

"Hey, everyone." Shadow said. "This is our dear friend, Amy." he said.

The other hedgehogs and some different animals in the room stopped their conversations, looking into their direction, smiling or raising their glasses at them then they resumed their conversations.

"So, Amy, what would you like to drink?" Shadow asked.

Amy would spend the night here, which meant she didn't have to drive tonight, so she could choose something alcoholic. "Um, a semi-dry rosé wine, please?" she asked.

Shadow smiled smugly. "Of course, Vector brought a couple of bottles as soon as he found out that you would be here for Christmas!" he said and winked at Amy before he disappeared into the crowd.

Amy felt lost for a moment, noticing some of the others staring at her curiously but when she looked into their direction, they pretended to look at something else. It was rather exhausting.

"Hey, I'm so glad you are here!" Sonic said, embracing Amy with both arms.

Since Amy didn't know what kind of behavior was appropriate concerning their situation, she reciprocated the embrace.

"And I'm glad that I'm here!" Amy said.

Silver snorted.

Amy had completely forgotten about Silver's presence until now.

"Oh, baby cousin, come on! Only because you can't find love, it doesn't mean no one else can!" Sonic said and leaned into Amy's left ear. "His girlfriend of three years dumped him in August, since then he is insufferable." he whispered.

Suddenly, Amy felt sorry for the young white hedgehog man, completely ignoring Sonic's comment about finding love.

"That's a shame, the thing with your girlfriend, I mean. My brother and his boyfriend of over ten years split up a couple of weeks ago. So, I understand if you are unhappy." Amy said.

Silver looked curiously at Amy. "Your brother is gay, then?" he asked.

The question surprised Amy.

"Yes." Amy asked.

Silver glared at Sonic. "Did you set her up to this?" he asked.

Sonic laughed. "No, Silver, I swear, I had no idea! Although, remembering their childhood pictures, he is rather cute." he said.

Winking at his cousin, Sonic leaned into Amy's left ear again. "Cousin Silver is bi, you know."

Fortunately, Shadow arrived with Amy's drink with his right hand, handing her the glass.

"Mom asks for you!" Shadow said, quietly.

Amy sighed, having the drink in her left hand and she wasn't used to that much family.

When Amy walked into the kitchen, she was greeted by an over-enthusiastic Aleena.

"My sweet girl, there you are, finally. See, Breezie? This is her, my daughter-in-law-to-be!" Aleena said.

Amy froze while Aleena embraced her. "Please, play along!" she said, whispering.

And Amy just did that, although she didn't know which brother she was supposed to be betrothed to.

This Breezie woman, who had long green quills and purple eyes, scrutinized her. "So, you are going to marry him?" she asked.

Although Amy didn't know who him was. "Yes, of course!" she said.

Breezie narrowed her eyes. "No plans to live in sin, like my dear cousin, then?" she asked.

Amy could hear Chuck squeak in the background and Aleena growl next to Breezie.

Amy tried to look as innocently as possible. "No, of course not." she said.

Breezie looked at Amy a couple of moments then she nodded. "Good, good, at least there are some decent people left in this world!" she said then she stormed out of the kitchen.

Both Aleena and Chuck released a breath.

"Thank you so much, Amy. This woman has been bothering us with her moral standards for years!" Aleena said.

Chuck sighed. "She refuses to understand my relationship with Aleena and Charles. So, unfortunately, we had to bring you and your made-up engagement to one of Aleena's sons into the picture." he said.

Amy nodded. "But this engagement, who is it to?" she asked.

Aleena and Chuck looked at each other, then laughed.

"She never asked! Technically it could be to both. Wouldn't that be shocking to Mrs. Celeste-Hedgehog?" Aleena asked.

Chuck doubled over with laughter. "I think this idea would kill her, Aleena!" he said.

Amy tried to relax, to find this situation as humorous as the other 2 but for some reason, she couldn't.

"Anyway, to be on the safe side, don't use any names, just say he or him and we." Aleena said to Amy.

Amy nodded as she could manage that.

Later, when they all sat down for dinner, carefully looking at the place cards, Amy found herself sitting between Shadow and Sonic as Shadow was on her left side and Sonic on her right side, sending a questioning gaze towards Aleena wasn't helpful at all. The older hedgehog woman just winked at Amy then she applied herself to the task of cutting the turkey with her right hand.

Amy remembered the last time she had a roasted turkey for Christmas as she was 17 years old then, their last Christmas as a family. Amy's mother had always been a great cook, even proved to be that today, when Amy came to visit. Since then, it was only Amy, her father, and her older twin brother and they usually ordered Chinese take-out, sharing 2 or 3 bottles of wine.

Amy came back to the present when she was nudged by Shadow on her left shoulder and looked at him.

"Another glass?" Shadow asked, holding the rosé wine bottle in front of Amy with both hands.

Amy nodded. _"Why not?"_ she thought.

If Amy were with Derek and Scourge right now, she would also drink wine.

...

2 hours later.

Anyway, the dinner seemed to last for hours, first course (consisting of dressing), main course (the turkey, of course, mashed potatoes, peas, and carrots), dessert (homemade cherry pie with vanilla ice cream and graham cracker crumbs).

Afterwards, some of the guests already said their goodbyes. Fortunately, this Breezie woman was among them. Amy, on the other hand, found herself in a quiet corner of the living room, together with Aleena, Shadow, and Sonic and a pale green hedgehog with crimson red eyes, and in his usual outfit.

"So, finally, let's talk business then. I'm Maurice, Maurice the Hedgehog, at your service." the pale green hedgehog said.

Amy smiled politely. "I'm Amy Rose." she said.

"I know, young lady, I know. The boys already told me about you." Maurice said.

Maurice knowing smile unsettled Amy for some reason.

"Amy, my sons told me that you got the remaining test results, which were all negative. Do you have them with you?" Maurice asked.

Amy nodded, handing the envelope over with her left hand.

Aleena took it with her right hand and didn't even open it. "I will put it into your folder." she said promising and her trust touched Amy.

"So, Miss Rose, you got a copy of the contract, concerning the rights and obligations of Shadow and Sonic the Hedgehog as fathers and you as the mother of your potential child. Did you read it carefully?" Maurice asked.

Amy nodded. "Yes, of course." she said.

Maurice smiled at Amy. "Good, good. And do you agree with the conditions of the contract?" he asked.

Amy nodded again.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Maurice, let's just sign the damn thing!" he said.

Amy had to suppress a laugh.

Shadow hissed. "Sonic!" he said.

Maurice looked at Amy scrutinizing. "Young lady?" he asked.

Amy cleared her throat. "Yes, of course I agree with them. That's why I'm here, to sign the contract." she said.

Maurice nodded to himself. "Perfect, perfect, ladies first, I would say!" he said then handed the original contract over to Amy with his right hand.

Amy held it with her left hand and briefly examined it, just to be sure. The conditions were the same as in the one Amy received then she put her signature on it with her left hand, before handing it back to Maurice. The old pale green hedgehog man smiled happily at Amy, then he gave the contract to the 2 hedgehog brothers.

Shadow was the next one to sign it, then Sonic did with their right hands. Afterwards, Maurice took back the document with his right hand.

"Alright, that's settled then. You 3 are about to become parents, sooner or later." Maurice said.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy shyly looked at each other then smiled.

"Finally!" Sonic said.

Suddenly, Amy remembered her manners. "Oh, Aleena, I totally forgot! I brought 2 bottles of wine as a hospitality gift!" she said then she took out the 2 bottles of her knapsack with both hands, handing them over to Shadow's and Sonic's mother.

Aleena smiled genuinely at Amy. "Thank you very much, Amy. You are a good girl. That's why I'm glad my sons chose you!" she said.

Amy was at a loss for words.

...

6 days later.

New Mobotroplis.

Hedgehog House.

Day Time.

In the afternoon, it started snowing. It was the first snow of this year.

At a quarter past four Amy parked her car in front of the the Hedgehog residence.

Scourge, sitting in the passenger seat, sighed. "Tell me, please, why did you insist on dragging me out here?" he asked.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Because we are invited, both of us. And since you didn't have any other plans..." she said.

Scourge pouted. "Well, how do you know? Did you ask me? No, you just assumed." he asked.

Amy had to admit that Scourge was right to some extent as she didn't ask him what his plans for new Year's Eve were before she included him in hers.

At Christmas, Shadow and Sonic invited Amy to their New Year's Eve party and she requested if she could bring her older twin brother along, even before she knew if he was available, just guessing. Amy would never forget the conspirationally gaze Sonic shared with his older brother.

"Yeah, sure!" Sonic said.

Actually, Scourge never told Amy if he had other plans, only complaining that she forced him to attend some backwood party.

"But I thought you liked them! You said they were perfect to become the fathers of my child!" Amy said, trying to counter Scourge's negative attitude.

Scourge shrugged. "Well, I talked about genetics, not about becoming friends!" he said.

Nevertheless, here Scourge was now, next to Amy on the right side, in the middle of nowhere, standing in front of the Hedgehog's door. It reminded Amy a good deal of her visit on Christmas Eve. A part of Amy almost expected Silver opening the door again.

But it wasn't the white hedgehog who welcomed them in. It was a rather softly-spoken, well-mannered young brown hedgehog male. "Good afternoon. I'm Little John. I assume you were invited by Shadow and Sonic?" the brown hedgehog male asked.

Amy smiled and nodded. "Yes, we were. I'm Amy, and this is my brother, Scourge." she said.

Little John's dark blue eyes widened for a moment. "Oh, you are Amy! Come on in, then. Shadow and Sonic will be happy to see you!" he said.

Scourge frowned at Amy, but remained silent.

Little John led Scourge and Amy into the corridor, showed them where they could hang up their black leather jacket and red coat then led them over into the living room.

"Hey, everyone, I brought some new guests. I think we are complete now, aren't we?" Little John asked.

Amy let her gaze sweep over the room.

Of course Amy recognized Shadow and Sonic, sitting side by side on Aleena comfortable big brown corduroy couch. Next to them, in an armchair of the same color and materiel, sat Silver, holding a glass of whiskey in his hands. On the floor, between couch and armchair, were sitting a very young dark blue hedgehog male with light blue eyes and a hedgehog female, approximately about Silver's and Sonic's age, with honey-colored quills. There was some similarity between them and Amy's initial thought was that they were surely siblings.

Upon seeing Amy, Sonic jumped up from the couch, crossing the room, embracing her with both arms.

"It's so good to see you again!" Sonic said, whispering into Amy's left ear.

Amy blushed. "Thanks, I'm glad you invited us!" she said.

Sonic took the hint. "Oh, of course, it's great that you could make it, too, um, Anita? Is that right?" he asked turned towards Amy's twin brother shaking his right hand with right hand enthusiastically.

Scourge's smile rather looked like a grimace.

Shadow seemed to notice their discomfort, because he intervened. "Sonic, come on, don't attack them like that. They've just arrived and didn't have a drink yet, unlike us!" he said then he raised his glass of beer with his right hand in order to make a point.

This seemed to be some insider joke because the others started laughing. Scourge and Amy shared a rather helpless expression, until a lavender cat girl stood up and walked over to them.

"Oh, just ignore them. The guys have already opened a barrel of beer around noon and can't be held responsible for anything they say or do. I'm Blaze the Cat, by the way, and I'm glad I'm no longer the only girl here." the lavender cat said then she extended her right hand towards Amy, who shook it with her left hand. "Nice to meet you!" she said.

Amy found out that Blaze was 22 and the atomic tangerine male cat was her younger brother, only 19 years old. They were the kids of another friend (and business ally) of the Hedgehog family. Little John, on the other hand, was like Silver, some kind of cousin to them. If Amy understood them correctly, their grandfathers had been cousins, or something like that.

It turned out that Amy and Blaze, despite the 2 year age difference, got along very well. As did, after some initial difficulties, Scourge and Silver as they were talking animatedly and exclusively with each other, laughing, flirting, drinking. Since neither Amy nor Scourge had to drive, Shadow and Sonic had generously extended their offer of spending the night at their place to Scourge as well, they both indulged in the semi-dry rosé wine from Vector's Stardust, actually, that was also the name of the establishment he ran, Vector's Stardust as they had to pass the time until midnight somehow then after seriously considering playing some paranormal games, they settled for some good old Karaoke. They were all drunk at this point, so Karaoke was more fun, of course and it led to some interesting results, like Scourge interpretating a classical rock ballad which happened to be their parents' song, as Amy explained to Sonic.

Sonic simply looked at Amy. "It must mean a great deal to him to sing it, then." he said.

Amy just nodded. A failed love story. Like so many others. Amy could feel tears burning in her eyes and she could see them glistening in her older twin brother's but she could also see that Silver looked intently at Scourge, a longing expression on his masculine and handsome face and when it was his turn to interpret a song, he chose something about love and heartache. Amy noticed with bated breath that Silver sung every verse as if he meant it, directed at her brother.

_"Could it be that Silver was really attracted to Scourge? Even falling for him?"_ Amy thought.

Of course, Amy would be happy for her older twin brother, he deserved someone at his side but Silver was very young, a year younger than herself, even a couple of months younger, to be more precisely. But sure, this Silver was a rather decent guy as far as Amy could tell.

As soon as the song stopped, the white hedgehog male looked at Amy's older twin brother with an inquiring expression. Amy could see that Scourge was deeply touched, but he seemed to hesitate for a moment, frowning, breathing hard, but then he obviously made up his mind, heading straight towards the taller, the green hedgehog, embracing him, kissing him on the lips. The other guests, including Amy, cheered, Sonic being the most enthusiastic among them.

"It seems that those 2 idiots really found each other." Shadow said, whispering into Amy's left ear.

"Yeah, it would seem so." Amy said.

Of course, Amy was happy for Scourge but on the other hand she was concerned that her older twin brother might get hurt again. The whole ordeal with Jet had been awful as he was her older twin brother's first and only boyfriend and then to learn that he was unfaithful, he even infected him with gonorrhea because Scourge was 'not enough', 'very naive', and 'too complicated'.

But it wasn't only Scourge and Silver who had to sing a song. Shadow and Sonic were the next ones, singing together, of course. Amy felt deeply touched as she saw the intimate interaction between the 2 hedgehog brothers and it was a love song they chose, about unrequited love, and Amy felt her stomach doing somersaults whenever they looked into her direction. It was at this point of the night, when she finally made up her mind. Amy wouldn't go for insemination, no, she would choose the natural way.

Shadow and Sonic looked very attractive, handsome, and muscular, one with black and red quills with crimson red eyes and one had cobalt blue quills with emerald green eyes. In order to get pregnant, Amy wanted to have sex with Shadow and Sonic, she was sure about that but she was also sure that she didn't want to already try in January. Amy needed some time to prepare her body and mind, time to get to know Shadow and Sonic better. February seemed to be perfect for Amy.

Later, Amy would inform the 2 hedgehog brothers about her plans, maybe directly after midnight. It would be a good time.

...

1 month later.

Station Square.

Scourge and Amy's House.

Amy was nervous as her ovulation test was clearly positive, which meant she should have sex within the next 24 to 36 hours and she would have sex tonight. On Valentine's Day. With 2 men, brothers, nonetheless.

Of course, Amy wasn't a virgin but she wasn't that experienced either. The number of Amy's previous lovers could be counted on the fingers of one hand, without even needing all fingers for that. So Amy was no stranger to vanilla sex, rough sex and oral sex but never in her life did she have sex with 2 men at the same time and now she was about to have exactly that, for the first time. It felt naughty to Amy. Naughty and arousing.

While getting ready for the big event, taking a shower and washing her quills, Amy suddenly remembered the last time she had been intimate with a man, also on Valentine's day. It was 3 years ago and it hadn't been a good experience, at least not for Amy.

_..._

_Flashback._

_3 years ago._

_Amy had somehow liked the guy Mephiles then, of course she had, otherwise she wouldn't have gone home with him for a drink, but she wasn't really attracted to him. Amy had known Mephiles for quite a while, they frequented the same gym, but she had never really talked to him. Until that day, there had been some kind of Valentine's Day event for singles at their gym, and Mephiles and Amy ended up sitting next to each other, talking, laughing. Mephiles admitted he had noticed Amy already several weeks ago, being interested in her, wanting to get to know her better and now he had finally the chance, although he said that he wasn't looking for anything serious._

_Amy felt flattered, despite Mephiles not really being her type, too big, too bulky, too brutish, too macho but accepting his invitation to his place for a drink or 2 didn't mean that she would have to marry him. Amy was young and independent and after 2 failed attempts or rather 3, but 2 of them were with the same guy at romantic relationships, she was ready to try something casual._

_Amy never got the drink Mephiles promised her, though._

_Mephiles and Amy had barely closed the front door to his flat behind them when he started kissing her rather aggressively, completely surprising her with this move. Never had somebody kissed Amy like that and she wasn't sure if she liked it._

_In retrospect, Amy knew she should have stopped Mephiles then and there, should have fled his apartment but when she could feel his arousal, his desire for her, she thought that maybe it wouldn't be that bad. After all, it would be just sex, nothing more, nothing less._

_Therefore Amy let Mephiles touch her like he wanted, let him kiss her some more, with too much tongue and teeth and very sloppy, his hands roaming greedily over her body, undressing her roughly while he was dragging her towards the bedroom. Since Amy knew what was expected of her, she went through the motions, telling herself that maybe she would enjoy it, Mephiles was somehow attractive after all at least to some women who liked those kind of guys. Never before has Amy had casual sex, and if it wasn't to her liking, well, she wouldn't have to repeat the experience and it would surely make Mephiles happy._

_Amy was wrong. Not about the part of making Mephiles happy, no, certainly not about that, but for Amy it was really, really bad._

_Mephiles hadn't been gentle with Amy at all, quite the contrary, not caring for her or her pleasure in the slightest, just using her body for his own satisfaction, even hurting her that was when she started protesting, struggling against him, but he ignored her, overpowered her. It had been so different from Amy's previous experiences with her ex-boyfriends._

_At least Mephiles had cared enough to use a condom._

_Later, when Amy was lying there in the dark, next to Mephiles, he already fast asleep, she felt so bad, used, dirty and sore even bleeding, that she could taste bile rising in her throat, feeling sick. Amy jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom to vomit. Afterwards Amy got quickly and quietly dressed, leaving Mephiles flat, going home, never wanting to see him again in her life and she had never again entered that gym._

_When Amy arrived in her and Scourge's apartment, she collapsed against the closed door, crying and sobbing shamelessly. Luckily, Scourge was at Jet's place, so she had the apartment to herself. It wouldn't have been good if Scourge saw Amy in this disheveled and desperate state. When Amy couldn't cry anymore, she got up, threw her clothes into the laundry basket, took a shower, scrubbing her skin raw, brushing her teeth violently. Amy wanted to get rid of Mephiles's smell on her body, of his taste in her mouth._

_Afterwards Amy wrapped herself in a fluffy pink bathrobe as it was a Christmas present from her father, Scourge got the same one in blue, it was supposed to be some kind of joke, considering them being twins, but the bathrobes were rather comfortable, so they really wore them, poured herself a huge glass of Gin with both hands and sat down on the couch in the living room, looking into space, drinking. When the glass was empty, Amy poured herself another drink with shaking hands. After Amy finished that glass as well, she turned off the lights and went to sleep on the couch. That was where Scourge found Amy the next morning. Scourge wondered, of course, but Amy didn't tell him anything. Amy knew that her older twin brother would kill this Mephiles if he knew what he had done to his sister._

_Amy told her friends, Tikal the Echidna and Cream the Rabbit, though, one Sunday afternoon some weeks later, while they were drinking sweet red wine, eating homemade chocolate cookies (Cream's special recipe), talking about their jobs, their lives, relationships, sex. It wasn't easy for Amy to admit what had occurred with Mephiles but she needed to talk about it with someone._

_"Did he force you?" Tikal asked, her brows drawn together._

_Amy thought about it for a moment, then shook her head, shrugging. "No, not at the beginning at least, I just let it happen, I should have stopped him then, but I didn't. I was so stupid!" she said then she felt tears burning in her eyes, but forbid herself to cry; she had cried enough about that._

_Tikal took her right hand in a supportive, consoling gesture. "Did you ever say no?" she asked._

_Amy took a deep breath. "When it hurt, I did, I even asked him to stop, really pleaded with him, but he ignored me, when I tried to push him away, fought against him, he backhanded me, grabbed my wrists in one hand and held me down, covered my mouth with the other, so that he wouldn't have to hear my cries of protest. He was so big, so much stronger, I tried to break free, but I couldn't!" she said then she involuntarily sobbed._

_Cream, the psychologist, regarded her thoughtfully. "Well, you know, in some countries it is even considered rape when the girl feels bad or mistreated afterwards and when you say that you asked him to stop because it hurt and his only reaction was to hit and restrain you, to continue... You should have gone to the police or a clinic, so that they at least could collect the evidence from your body." she said._

_Amy let her words sink in, then she shook her head again. "No, I couldn't. What evidence? That I had rather rough sex? I couldn't prove anything! I went home with him voluntarily. People at the gym saw us talking, flirting, leaving together..." she asked._

_Tikal shook her head as well. "Cream is right. Although it's not always easy to prove a sexual assault, every woman should go to the police, no matter what. Maybe you were not his first victim and surely you will not be his last! Monsters like him should be stopped! Of course, he can always claim that it was consensual, but if there is the accusation of sexual abuse, the police will have to act." she said._

_It never crossed Amy's mind that Mephiles could have done it to anyone else. Amy didn't think that any other girl would have been as stupid as her._

_"You said no, Amy, that's the point. It doesn't matter when you say it, even in the middle of a sexual act you have the right to change your mind. And every decent guy has to accept it, no matter how horny he is. Otherwise it's rape!" Cream said angrily, although Amy knew that the anger wasn't directed at her._

_Tikal nodded._

_Amy understood that they were right, both of them, Tikal and Cream were either happily married, in Cream's case or engaged to be married like Tikal. Tikal and Cream would know about decent guys. But a part of Amy refused to regard what had happened to her as rape._

_Amy told them so. "I don't want to be considered a victim. Hell, I practiced kickboxing, even at that damn gym! I should have been able to fight him!" she said._

_Cream smiled at Amy, stroking her hair with her left hand. "You are not a victim, you are a survivor. A survivor of rape!" she said._

_But Amy shook her head. "No, I just want to view it as a bad experience and forget it!" she said._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

And Amy did. Amy totally forgot about it. Until now. Because now Amy would have sex with 2 men she liked, but wasn't in love with of course not, she had never been in love before, not even with her boyfriends, why should she be now, 2 men she considered friends, but who were almost strangers. Amy was nervous about how Shadow and Sonic would treat her in bed. Maybe Amy should have opted for insemination, but this procedure didn't appeal to her at all. Not only because it was so clinical and messy, especially when using the insemination cap, according to some forum entries Amy had read previously, but also because she was a hedgehog female of flesh and blood and she couldn't deny the fact that she was attracted to Shadow and Sonic. Really attracted. In spite of Amy's bad experience with that vile Mephiles.

Nevertheless Amy was afraid to make another mistake.

So, it was with shaking hands that Amy put on her new underwear, a dark pink semi-sheer bra with a lacy floral design and a matching lace slip in dark orange, she had only bought for this occasion, blow-dried and styled her quills, nothing too fancy, just her usual quills down style, she wore almost everyday then she got dressed, black leggings, a dark grey knitted dress with a black leather belt and black high-heel boots.

After putting her make-up on, not too much, just foundation, black mascara and eyeliner and some lip gloss, Amy checked her appearance one more time in the mirror, taking a deep breath.

Now Amy just had to wait for them to arrive.

Shadow and Sonic were right on time, both of them dressed nicely, Sonic wearing dark blue jeans and a white, freshly ironed button-down shirt under his black pea coat, Amy wondered if it had been Aleena or Chuck who had done the ironing for him, Shadow in black jeans and a dark red jumper under his black sheepskin jacket, carrying a brown holdall, certainly with the things they would need for the night and the next morning, and a wine bottle with both hands. Shadow and Sonic beamed at Amy.

"Hey, come on in you two." Amy said, enthusiastically.

"Thank you, you look great." Shadow said, handing the bottle over to Amy, who grabbed it with her left hand.

"I remember you rather liked Vector's rosé wine." Shadow said, hugging Amy with both arms.

"We remembered. And you look gorgeous." Sonic said, correcting his older brother, hugging Amy with both arms as well, even kissing her right cheek.

"Oh, thank you, that's very nice of you, but if this evening is successful, I won't be able to drink the wine for several months or even longer." Amy said.

The 2 hedgehog brothers looked at each other for a moment then blushed.

"Oh. I told you it was a bad idea to bring alcohol, Shads, it looks like we want her to get drunk in order to... you know." Sonic said.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Actually, both of us were not sure what to bring tonight. We have never been before in this situation." he said.

Amy smiled reassuringly at Shadow and Sonic. "Neither have I. But we will figure it out together!" she said.

That broke the ice, all 3 of them laughing.

Amy led Shadow and Sonic over to the couch. "What would you 2 like to drink?" she asked.

"Water, please." Shadow said.

Sonic looked rather uncertain. "Um, do you have some beer?" he asked.

Amy nodded.

Since Scourge fell in love with Silver on New Year's Eve, there were always 2 or 3 bottles of beer in the refrigerator. Amy fixed Shadow and Sonic's drinks, bringing them over to the couch with both hands.

Shadow and Sonic were curiously looking around, saying their thank yous, when Amy handed them their drinks. Amy herself drank some apple juice. Although, considering the situation, Amy could do with a drink, she hadn't drunk any alcohol since New Year's Eve in order to cleanse her body and prepare it for the potential pregnancy.

"So, this is where you live with your brother." Sonic said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, we bought this apartment together right after I signed my contract at the grammar school. Of course, our father helped us out with the money, but we are paying him back." she said.

Sonic nodded, taking another sip from his beer with his right hand. "Must be great to have your own place, though. Shadow and I, we really love our family, we do, but sometimes it's rather exhausting because you can't help but feel a little bit controlled." he said.

Amy smiled. "No offense, but knowing your family, I understand. Although I can assure you it's only because they care. Not everybody has that, especially when grown up." she said.

Amy thought about her own mother, living far away, being more like an older friend or a sister, not a mother and her father, well, their relationship was rather chilly because she looked a lot like her mother and her father liked to behave like a spoiled brat, never forgiving his wife for leaving like that, not accepting that she had moved on, leading an independent life, away from her husband and children.

For some time from left to right, Shadow, Amy, and Sonic sat there in silence, sipping their drinks.

Finally, it was Sonic who reminded them of the 2 hedgehog brothers' purpose of being here.

"So, how and when shall we start?" Sonic asked.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Do you want me to get undressed now? Or do you want to undress me?" she asked.

Shadow smiled reassuringly at Amy. "Well, you opted for the natural way. Let's do this as natural as possible, then." he said then he pulled Amy close with both hands, kissing her lightly on the lips, looking into her eyes as if asking her permission and when she nodded, he kissed her again, deeper, using his tongue.

It didn't feel awkward to Amy at all as she and Shadow closed their eyes.

As soon as Shadow and Amy opened their eyes and broke the kiss, panting, Sonic carefully took her face between his hands, kissing her in earnest, tenderly, and hungrily at the same time. It drove Amy almost crazy, craving for more.

"Wow, that's promising, can't wait to make love to you." Sonic said, whispering afterwards, smiling.

Amy drew her eyebrows together, lowering her gaze, biting her lip.

It was Shadow who put his right hand on Amy's left arm, catching her attention.

"Hey, are you okay? Is it too much for you? We can stop if you want to. We can do this later... or another time." Shadow asked.

Amy shook her head, taking a deep breath. "No, you 2 are amazing. And I want to... you know, with both of you. It's just been a while for me and the last guy I was with..." she said, laughed nervously, looking intently from Shadow to Sonic. "Well, let's say, he wasn't gentle at all."

The 2 hedgehog brothers glanced at each other, understanding dawning on their faces. For a brief moment, Amy panicked.

_"They know what happened to you, view you as damaged goods, they don't want you anymore."_ Amy thought.

"We're sorry you had to experience something like that. But before him, the sex was usually good?" Sonic asked.

Amy felt herself blushing. "Yes." she said.

Sonic and Shadow looked relieved.

"Well, then you know what it should be like, and I promise, we won't do anything you don't want to do, okay? Just let us know if something doesn't feel good, or if you like it differently, or even if you want us to stop altogether, all right?" Shadow asked.

Amy nodded.

Shadow sounded so sincere, Amy trusted him and Sonic. It would be different this time.

Now it was Amy who took the initiative, first kissing Sonic then Shadow, dragging them up with her. "Let's take this to the bedroom, okay?" she asked.

The 2 hedgehog brothers looked fascinated, nodding and following Amy's lead as she took their hands, heading for her room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Amy lost any doubt, all her restraint, alternately kissing Shadow then to Sonic letting them undress her, undressing them in turn, touching, feeling. To Amy, it was bliss then finally, she, Shadow, and Sonic all settled down on her mattress, naked and knowing what would happen next.

...

Amy enjoyed the feeling of 2 pair of hands roaming freely over her body while the 3 of them were kneeling on her bed.

Amy could feel Shadow pressing against her back, his right hand cupping her right breast, his right thumb rubbing over her right nipple, while his left hand wandered downwards, over her belly, lower and lower until it came to rest on her womanhood. Shadow's left fingers parted Amy's pussy, finding and stimulating her clit, brushing over her entrance, pushing in, preparing her. Shadow certainly knew what he was doing.

Sonic was pressing against Amy's front, simply holding her around the waist with both hands, kissing the moans from her lips while her arms were tightly wrapped around his neck, her fingers playing with his cobalt blue spiky quills. It felt good to be sandwiched between Shadow and Sonic like this.

Then Shadow nuzzled the side of Amy's throat. "I'd like to take you from behind. Is that okay with you?" he asked, whispering.

Amy hesitated as she had never been taken like this before but there was a first time for everything. "Y-Yes." she said.

Shadow pressed a kiss to Amy throat. "Great." he said then he let his hands wander over Amy's body again, to her shoulders, down her arms, finally grabbing her wrists. "Just support yourself on Sonic."

Shadow placed Amy's hands on Sonic's shoulders. Sonic turned his head, pressing a kiss to the back of her left hand then her right hand, tightening his grip on her waist with both hands.

Shadow was shifting behind Amy, grabbing and tilting her hips into position with his right hand while she could feel his cock pressing against her backside, sliding down until it was resting against her wet pussy, the fingers of his left hand parting her womanhood again, holding her open then he started pushing in.

Amy experienced a burning sensation as her pussy was stretched by Shadow's thick cock and panicked. Memories of Amy's last time with Mephiles invaded her mind. Amy gasped and tensed, clenching her inner muscles shut, preventing Shadow from going further.

Shadow stopped immediately. "Relax, I don't want to hurt you." he said.

Amy nodded and took a few deep breaths, telling herself that it was okay, that she really wanted it this time, that Shadow would treat her well.

Shadow's left hand started massaging Amy's clit again, while Sonic pressed tender kisses to her face, stroking her thighs. The ministrations helped Amy to relax, unclenching her inner muscles.

Shadow slowly pushed all the way in, groaning deeply, admitting. "You feel so good, so very tight!" he said as he gave Amy some time to adjust then started moving.

Despite Amy's initial discomfort and fear, it felt wonderful.

Amy's hands pressed into Sonic's shoulders as Shadow went faster and faster, gripping her hips tightly, his head resting against hers, breathing hard. Amy could hear herself moaning, louder and louder, until her whole body went hard as she reached her peak, crying out in ecstasy, her inner muscles convulsing around him.

Then Shadow followed Amy over the edge, biting her neck while spilling inside her. To Amy it felt strange as Shadow's hot seed flooded her pussy she never had sex without a condom before but in order to create a child it was necessary.

Shadow loosened his grip on Amy's hips, slipping out of her, breathing hard, then collapsing on the bed.

"You look stunningly beautiful when you cum." Sonic said whispering, pulling her close, kissing her passionately. Sonic sat down on the bed, cross legged, still holding and kissing Amy while pulling her onto his lap.

Amy could feel Sonic's cock pressing against her pussy then he was lowering her down, slowly guiding himself inside. Although Sonic was as well endowed as Shadow, she didn't feel any pain this time, maybe because she was still stretched from Shadow's cock, her pussy well slicked by his seed and her own juices. Yet Amy was overly sensitive after her orgasm, hinting at her being sore tomorrow.

Sonic and Amy both moaned when he was buried deep within her.

Then Amy started moving her hips while wrapping her arms tightly around him. Sonic buried his face between Amy's left shoulder and her neck, grabbing her hips, supporting her movements with both hands. It didn't take long for Sonic to find his release.

"Amy!" Sonic said, yelling.

By now Amy was already used to the feeling of seed flooding her pussy, even welcoming the sensation.

Afterwards, Amy just held Sonic with both hands stroking his back kissing his quills, still sitting in his lap feeling him inside her.

"I'm totally in love with you, Amy." Sonic said, whispering.

Amy flinched. Sonic wasn't supposed to say something like that.

"No, Sonic, no!" Amy said, lifting herself from Sonic's lap with both hands, letting him slip out of her with a squishing sound, breaking skin contact, putting some distance between them.

Sonic looked devastated. "But this is how I feel for you. I'm not afraid to admit it. It wasn't planned, it just happened." he said.

Amy shook her head, backing away from Sonic, until she felt a strong pair of arms grabbing her from behind.

"Shadow." Amy said.

"Hey, careful! Do you want to fall off the bed?" Shadow asked.

Shadow was right. Only a couple of inches separated Amy from the edge.

Furiously, Amy turned around in Shadow's arms.

"Did you know that?" Amy asked.

Shadow looked uncomfortable. "Well, he told me, of course, I'm his brother. And... I think I'm in love with you too." he said.

Amy pushed Shadow away from her, climbing off the bed and here she stood in her room, naked and confused, looking crossly at the 2 hedgehog brothers on her bed, while their seed trickled out of her, mixed with her own juices, down the insides of her thighs, leaving a sticky feeling then she buried her face in her hands and started crying.

In an instant, from left to right, Shadow and Sonic were beside Amy, taking her into their arms, comforting her.

"It's okay, Amy, we don't mind that you don't feel the same for us, we can cope. We are men!" Sonic said, whispering into Amy's right ear, kissing her temple while Shadow rubbed her back with his right hand. "As I already said when we first met, we don't expect anything from you, except from being the mother of our child."

But if Amy was honest with herself, she didn't really know how she felt about Shadow and Sonic anymore. Yes, Amy liked Shadow and Sonic. A lot. Otherwise it would have been difficult for Amy to have sex with Shadow and Sonic and then the sex tonight, it had been mind-blowing, the best sex in her whole life so far but was she really in love with them, as in a romantic way? Like Shadow and Sonic claimed to be with Amy? And if Amy was, wouldn't that ruin everything, considering her track record concerning romantic relationships?

"It's not that, it is because it makes everything more complicated." Amy said some time later, still sobbing, but wiping away her tears already with both hands, finally calming down.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows?" Sonic questioned.

"I think it would be more complicated if we didn't care for you at all, if you were just like a breeding machine for us." Shadow said while leading Amy over to her bed, helping her to climb inside, joining her.

Sonic let go of Amy for a moment so that he could walk around her bed, lying down on her other side. Again, Amy was sandwiched between Shadow and Sonic, but this time, Shadow was pressed to her front, facing her, while Sonic spooned up behind her, both of them wrapping their arms around her. Amy felt safe, safe and loved. And now, while Amy was lying in her bed, she noticed how exhausted she was, emotionally and physically.

...

Tomorrow.

Morning.

When Amy woke up the next morning, Shadow and Sonic were still holding her.

Of course, at some point during the night, each of them had gone to the bathroom to clean up, but immediately seeking the closeness, the skin contact, afterwards. Somehow, Amy's legs got entangled with Shadow's, her fingers entwined with Sonic's. Happily, Amy smiled to herself, although she really was sore, which was nothing unusual, doing it twice after living celibate for 3 years.

Then Amy noticed she wasn't the only one being awake.

"Hey, Beautiful, you alright?" Shadow asked.

Amy's smile widened. "Yeah, and you?" she asked.

Shadow looked fondly at Amy. "Never been better!" he said then leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead then going for a real kiss.

The kiss soon became heated, Shadow's fingers running through Amy's quills, his erection pressing against her stomach.

Amy knew they would couple again.

Thus, Amy rolled onto her back, barely registering that Sonic had woken up as well. Propped up on his right elbow, Sonic was looking at them with longing and passion in his eyes. Amy spread her legs and Shadow settled between them, positioning his cock at her entrance, supporting his weight on his hands, looking deep into her eyes, questioningly. Amy knew Shadow asked for her permission.

Amy nodded.

And then Shadow slowly and carefully pushed inside, stretching Amy, filling her.

It felt as good as it did last night. Amy's hands wandered over Shadow's back, down to his buttocks, kneading his flesh, urging him on but she could feel that he was restraining himself, maybe afraid to hurt her.

"It's okay, Shadow, sometimes I like it rough, just let go." Amy said, whispering.

Shadow didn't need to be told twice, thrusting in harder, deeper, increasing in speed, until Amy was no longer only moaning but screaming out her lust, shocking herself with that, her body covered in sweat. When Amy started rhythmically clenching around Shadow on purpose, she knew from experience that it drove guys crazy, he found his release, spilling his seeds inside her, prompting her own orgasm.

Afterwards Shadow collapsed on top of Amy, kissing her, catching his breath. When Shadow finally got off, Sonic took his place, caressing and kissing every inch of Amy's skin with both hands, worshipping her, her breasts, her belly, her thighs, between her thighs, alternately licking up her pussy and sucking at her clit, dipping his tongue into her entrance and teasing her sensitive nub with it. Amy moaned deeply in her throat, arching her back, her hands buried in his hair then she climaxed.

"S-Sonic!" Amy said, moaning.

While Amy was still shuddering with the aftershocks of her orgasm, Sonic crawled up her body, settling between her legs, guiding his cock inside her with his right hand then entwining their fingers and placing their hands next to her head, looking into her eyes.

"I'd like to make slowly love to you." Sonic said, whispering and did just that, with a lot of kisses and gentle caresses, until they reached their peak together.

By now, it was clear to Amy that this was no longer only about becoming pregnant, she was falling for them and somehow this thought didn't frighten her at all anymore.

Later, after they had recovered from their activities, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy decided that they needed to clean up again and to change the bed sheets.

"Go, have a shower, Sonic and I will take care of your bed." Shadow said to Amy.

Amy nodded.

"Where do you keep your bed linen?" Shadow asked.

Amy showed Shadow and Sonic and they didn't need to put on any clothes because Scourge wasn't home, having spent the night with Silver.

...

10 minutes later.

When Amy came out of the bathroom, now smelling of body wash and shampoo, not of sweat and sex like before, wrapped in a big, baby blue, fluffy towel, she was happy to see that Shadow and Sonic, meanwhile in their boxers, stayed true to their word, they had even found a matching blanket to the bedclothes, though the blanket actually belonged to Scourge but she didn't tell them.

"Wow, you 2 are awesome. Not only in bed!" Amy said.

Both Shadow and Sonic stared unbelievingly at Amy, then looked at each other, before turning back towards her.

"Well, thank you! I think we couldn't have been any good without the right inspiration, like you." Shadow said.

Amy blushed as she had never been someone who really needed sex. Of course, Amy had been curious when she was younger, and of course she knew that sex was an integral part of almost every romantic relationship between adults, but she could live without it, had lived without it the last couple of years, sometimes even wondering if she was actually asexual.

Until Amy met Shadow and Sonic. After last night and this morning, Amy was convinced that she definitely liked sex, at least sex with Shadow and Sonic.

"So, you being here means the bathroom is free, right?" Sonic asked.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course no one else is here except from us." she said.

Sonic smiled impishly. "Great, then it's my turn to shower now!" he said then he stormed out of the room.

Shadow sighed.

"Or in other words: Shadow, go make breakfast! Honestly, I'm still waiting for the day when I can use the bathroom first." Amy said, giggling while starting to brush out her long pink quills, inspecting her reflection in the mirror of her antique vanity.

There was a love bite visible on the left side of Amy's neck, though she didn't remember who left it and when and dark circles beneath her eyes, hinting at her lack of sleep, but otherwise she found that she looked more relaxed, even glowing from the inside.

"It would appear sharing a bathroom with him is more difficult for you than sharing a girlfriend." Amy said.

Noticing what she just said, Amy froze waiting for his reaction.

Shadow studied Amy's reflection. "Do you want to be that? Our girlfriend?" he asked.

Amy closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath then she nodded. "Yes." she said, quietly.

Shadow walked crossed the room to take Amy into his arms, kissing her deeply. "That's wonderful, Amy, really. Sonic will be very happy." he said.

Shadow kissed Amy again then he took the hairbrush from her left hand with his right hand, gesturing towards her hair.

"May I?" Shadow asked.

Amy nodded again and then Shadow started brushing her quills, being astonishingly gentle. It felt rather intimate, letting someone else brush Amy's quills. Except from Amy's parents, her brother and admittingly her friend Cream when she was younger, of course, no one else had ever done that.

Then, Sonic came back, a white towel wrapped around his hips, his quills dropping wet and spiky.

"Hey, just a question, does your brother share you peach shampoo and coconut body wash? Because I couldn't find anything else..." Sonic asked.

Amy bit her lip in order to avoid laughing. "Of course not, Scourge has his own, more neutral smelling stuff. But since he spent the night at Silver's, I'm afraid he took it with him, just in case." she said, looking apologetically at Sonic.

Sonic looked confused. "Why would he do that? Does he think that Silver doesn't have anything to shower or what?" he asked.

Amy, still amused, shook her head. "No, it's just the way he is. He doesn't like to use other people's products because they might not be good for his fur and skin type or on his quills." she said.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Well, great, now I have to explain to people why I smell like a girl, only because your brother is paranoid. If this would have been an all girls' household I would have brought our stuff, but Shadow assured me that we could certainly use your brother's things." he said.

Amy smiled sweetly and gestured for Sonic to come over to her, which he did.

Amy took Sonic into her arms and kissed his lips. "I think you smell good like that." she said then after another kiss. "Of course, you can always tell people that you smell like a girl because you spend the night at your girlfriend's place."

Sonic needed a moment to understand Amy properly. "Does that mean what I think it means? That you are my no our girlfriend?" he asked.

Amy nodded, looking up into Sonic's big emerald green eyes.

"Yes!" Sonic said, lifting Amy up with both arms, spinning her around then he kissed her passionately.

But before the kiss could lead to more, Amy broke it then turned to Shadow.

"Of course, Scourge always has 1 or 2 bottles of shampoo and body wash in store, again, just in case. It could always be sold out when he needs it. I'll put it in the shower for you." Amy said.

Shadow nodded. "Thank you, that's very nice. Now, I at least won't smell like peach and coconut!" he said.

Sonic huffed. "Great, next time I let him shower first. Would have served him right if he had to use your products." he said.

Amy simply smiled, took Sonic's face into her hands, kissed him tenderly. "Maybe next time. Now let's get dressed and start breakfast, after I hand your brother my brother's spare products, of course!" she said.

Sonic rolled his eyes.

* * *

End of Chapter 3.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

Everyone in their usual outfits.

...

3 weeks later.

Station Square.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Day Time.

Amy looked unbelievingly at her calendar as she was about 2 weeks late, meaning that there was the possibility of her being pregnant, especially because she hadn't been this late since she was 16 or 17.

Of course, Amy couldn't know for sure without doing a pregnancy test first and naturally she didn't have one at home. Amy's first impulse was to go to the drugstore to buy 1, it was Saturday so she didn't have to teach today and could do it right now, but then she thought that maybe Shadow and Sonic would like to do that together with her, they were the fathers or, rather one was the father and the other the uncle after all and since the 2 wanted to come over to her place later that afternoon, she had met the 2 hedgehog brothers more or less regularly since Valentine's day, she could tell them about her suspicion and they could then go together to the drugstore.

So Amy went about her day, tidying up the apartment, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, doing some laundry, then she took a shower and waited for Shadow and Sonic to arrive. Fortunately, they would have the apartment to themselves again, after breakfast Scourge had explained that he would first go over to his workroom at their father's house, getting some work done, and then spend the rest of the day and the night with Silver.

At about four o'clock the 2 hedgehog brothers rang the bell and Amy let them in, embracing from left to right, both Sonic and Shadow at the same time, kissing them enthusiastically, dragging them into her home and closing the door.

"Wow, that's a nice welcome. Maybe we should always spend 3 days apart if it leads to this." Sonic said to Amy rather unusual behavior.

Yes, of course Amy had missed Shadow and Sonic, but due to her job and theirs it hadn't been possible to meet before Saturday. Yet, Amy's excitement had more to do with her potential pregnancy but she didn't tell Shadow and Sonic right away, enjoying the feeling of their hands on her body, their lips on her skin.

And Amy could tell that Shadow and Sonic were enjoying her touch as well, undressing her right there in the living room, cupping her breasts, pressing their cocks against her stomach so that she could feel their arousal. Amy was sure Shadow and Sonic wouldn't make it to the bedroom this time and she was grateful that her brother wasn't home.

So, with a lot of kisses and caresses Shadow, Sonic, and Amy sank down on the couch, removing the rest of her clothes, shedding their own, letting their lips wander down her throat to her breasts until each brother was sucking and licking one of her nipples, Sonic on her left and Shadow on her right. It was an overwhelming sensation, so Amy simply closed her eyes, moaning loudly, her right hand messing up Shadow's long, spiky black and red hair and her left hand in Sonic's long spiky cobalt blue quills.

Then Shadow and Sonic let their lips wander lower, over Amy's belly and her thighs, until one of the 2 hedgehog brothers parted her legs, sneaking a peek she could see that it was Sonic, kneeling between them, pausing. Amy let out a frustrated growl, causing both Shadow and Sonic to chuckle and Shadow.

"Impatient, aren't we?" Shadow questioned then he crawled up Amy's body again, latching onto her right breast, while his right hand was kneading her left breast, teasing its nipple with his right thumb.

Finally Amy could feel Sonic's hot breath ghosting over her wet pussy while his hands lifted her legs, placing her thighs on his shoulders, before he started to pleasure her with his mouth, using his lips and tongue, driving her crazy, causing her to scream out her lust, her body covered in sweat.

Amy's hands were grabbing handfuls of Shadow and Sonic's quills now, lightly pulling, while her hips were bucking up in rhythm with Sonic's ministrations and then she climaxed, her whole body going hard, her hips lifting from the couch, while the brothers still held her.

When Amy was shuddering with aftershocks, Shadow and Sonic slowed down their licking and sucking, crawling up her body, kissing her mouth, first Shadow, then Sonic, and she could taste herself on his lips, gently stroking her thighs, her stomach, her thighs while she was still catching her breath.

"That was... a-amazing." Amy said as it was all she could say and especially Sonic looked smug.

"I thought you would like that, I still remembered your reaction from the last time I pleasured you like this." Sonic said turned to his older brother. "She tastes wonderful, Shadow, especially pure like today, without the flavor of your cum mixed into it!"

While Amy blushed, remembering that the last time Sonic had done this to her was right after she and Shadow had became intimate, the 2 hedgehog brothers laughed for a moment.

"Well, you didn't have to eat her out after I had come inside of her." Shadow said, winking at Amy then leaned into her right ear. "I'd like to taste you too. Is that okay? Or do you need more time to recover?"

Instinctively, Amy shook her head spreading her legs.

Shadow smiled then kissed Amy's lips. "Great! Just lean back and enjoy then." he said before kissing down her body until he reached his goal.

In the meantime, Sonic's mouth was busy on Amy's neck and her breasts, kissing, biting, teasing. It felt so good what Shadow and Sonic did to Amy, better than any other sexual experience she had before, and it didn't take her long to reach her peak again.

"You're right, Sonic." Shadow said, his head resting on Amy's right thigh. "She tastes sweet and spicy, better than any delicacy I have ever eaten."

And with one last kiss to the inside of Amy's right thigh, Shadow sat down next to her, on her right, while Sonic occupied the space on her left, their arms firmly wrapped around her waist, their heads resting against her shoulders while she could still feel their arousals pressing against her hips. Whereas Amy already had 2 orgasms, Shadow and Sonic had none so far. Time for Amy to change that. So Amy stirred, freeing herself from Shadow and Sonic embrace.

"Let me do something for you now!" Amy said, whispering.

Amy slid down from the couch kneeling on the floor between Shadow and Sonic, touching their cocks with each of her hands as she held Shadow on her right hand and held Sonic on her left hand. Shadow and Sonic moaned simultaneously. Of course, Karin could give them a hand job, something she considered herself being good at after being told so since she had her first real boyfriend at the age of 15, but today she wanted to try out something new. Although Amy had been several times on the receiving end of oral sex, she had never before given a guy a blow job, just because the idea of taking a man's cock into her mouth had always seemed a little bit disgusting to her but with Shadow and Sonic it was different. Amy wanted to taste them as much as Shadow and Sonic had wanted to taste her, she already loved the way they smelled, Sonic like cinnamon and licorice, Shadow like caramel and coffee, and from her friends Cream and Tikal she knew that a man's flavor was strongest on his cock.

And Amy had to admit that they were right as she took Sonic's into her mouth, her tongue caressing the backside of his shaft while she was moving her head up and down, teasing the tip from time to time, she had read and watched enough porn to know how to do this, tasting precum, softly stroking his left thigh with her left hand while her right hand was gently caressing Shadow's cock, not fast enough to make him come, but intensely enough to keep him entertained while her main focus was on Sonic's pleasure.

Amy could feel Sonic's left hand in her quills, while his right hand held Shadow's left hand pressing into her right shoulder while they clasped each other's free hands, their fingers entwined, something she found unusual but arousing at the same time as arousing as hearing them gasp.

"Amy!" Sonic said, moaning.

"Rose!" Shadow said, moaning.

While Amy was moving her mouth faster and faster up and down his shaft, Sonic's grip on her quills tightened.

"Amy, stop or I'll cum." Sonic said was all he was able to say.

Amy let Sonic's cock slip from her lips, searching his eyes. "Good, then cum." she said with a smug smile winking at him, before resuming her efforts.

It didn't take Sonic long to peak, his hips jerking off the couch, his hand slightly pulling Amy's quills, moaning deeply while she could feel his cock pulsing in her mouth and then taste his hot seed on her tongue. It was bitter and salty but also somehow purely Sonic so Amy swallowed everything, licking him clean.

Sonic loosened his grip on Amy's quills, tenderly running his left fingers through it, smiling down at her. "I love you, Amy." he said before taking her left hand into his left hand, pulling her up, embracing her tightly and kissing her deeply while her right hand was still wrapped around his older brother's cock, pausing.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Um, do you plan to continue or shall I take care of my own needs?" he asked.

Amy kissed Sonic one last time, pushing his quills behind his ears with her left hand then she focused on Shadow, kissing down his furry chest and stomach until her lips brushed against the tip of his cock.

"You're amazing, do you know that?" Shadow asked whispering as Amy took him into her mouth while his right hand was caressing her neck and her back, his left hand still clasped in Sonic's right hand.

Amy repeated with Shadow what she had already performed on Sonic until he also spilled into her mouth, his essence tasted similar bitter and salty but also different something that was uniquely Shadow and again she swallowed what he had to give her, until his limp cock slipped from her lips.

Afterwards Amy rested her head on Shadow's right thigh, looking up at him from heavy-lidded eyes and he helped her to get up from the floor with both hands, so that she could occupy again her place between the 2 hedgehog brothers then he pressed their foreheads together, looking deeply into her eyes and although he didn't say it, unlike Sonic she could see the love and affection he had for her in his gaze.

"Wow, that was unexpected." Sonic said chuckling, grabbing Amy's right hand, entwining their fingers.

Shadow agreed. "Yeah, how did we earn that rather special treat?" he asked.

Amy bit her lip smiling then she reached over Shadow's lap to take his right hand into her left hand, noticing that the 2 hedgehog brothers were still clasping each other's hands. Now Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were holding hands, a perfect setting for what she was about to tell them.

"I think I'm pregnant." Amy said smiling, looking from Shadow to Sonic.

Shadow and Sonic needed a moment to digest Amy's good news.

"Are you sure?" Shadow asked breathlessly.

Amy shrugged. "Well, not really, I didn't do a test or anything, it's just that I'm about two weeks late and this didn't happen since I was a teenager!" she said.

Sonic laughed happily, hugging Amy tightly. "It would be fantastic if you were! When will you know for sure?" he asked.

Amy told Shadow and Sonic about her plan to buy a pregnancy test together with them tonight which she then could do the next morning. Shadow and Sonic liked the idea.

...

Tomorrow.

Morning.

Amy was sitting on the edge of her bathtub, looking nervously at her watch on her left wrist, wearing a black oversized t-shirt which belonged to one of the 2 hedgehog brothers, though she didn't know which one. In 5 minutes Amy would find out whether she was really pregnant. It would be the longest five minutes of Amy's life.

Again and again, Amy's eyes wandered over to the test stick which was lying on the shelf next to the basin. It would be no use to look at it now. The result wouldn't be visible. Amy's thoughts were running wild, contemplating how her life had changed over the last few months, since she decided to join the website, since she met Shadow and Sonic. 4 minutes.

Amy could hear the 2 hedgehog brothers clattering with pans and dishes in the kitchen, talking excitedly, laughing. Shadow and Sonic had promised to make breakfast while Amy was doing the test, keeping themselves occupied. Maybe Amy should have joined Shadow and Sonic after peeing on the test stick but she felt that she needed some time alone with herself and her thoughts. 3 minutes.

Of course, Amy had read the instructions carefully before doing the test, over and over again, but since she hadn't anything else to do now, she read them once more, making sure to not miss something important, to be able to read the test results correctly when the time was up. 2 minutes.

Amy couldn't help being anxious. Amy had to be pregnant. Why else would Amy be missing her period? Admittedly, Amy's job had been very stressful recently, this could be another reason, her workload more than usual because she had to take over classes for a colleague on sick leave and then, some other colleagues were giving her a hard time... 1 minute.

Amy suddenly remembered the terrible woman in the drugstore the night before when they were buying the pregnancy test, the woman who was openly condemning her and her relationship with Shadow and Sonic. Maybe Shadow, Sonic, and Amy shouldn't have been that obvious, the 2 hedgehog brothers showing their affection for her publicly but that was what people in love did and she didn't want to hide what they had. Yes, their relationship was unconventional, but Shadow, Sonic, and Amy weren't hurting anyone. So it was nobody else's business! Time was up.

Amy took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the test stick, interestingly enough, she had placed it next to the little bag containing her menstrual cup, which she hopefully wouldn't need for quite a while then she stood up. With shaking hands, Amy lifted the test, looking at the control line and the test line.

_"2 blue stripes. Positive. It's positive!"_ Amy thought.

Amy was overwhelmed with joy. Pressing her left hand to her mouth, Amy could feel her stomach doing somersaults. Yes, Amy was pregnant! Time to tell Shadow and Sonic.

So, pregnancy test in her right hand, bare foot, wearing nothing but her lavender panties and a black t-shirt, her quills a mess, Amy entered the kitchen.

Shadow and Sonic, only wearing boxers, stopped talking, looking expectantly at Amy.

Amy tried to keep her expression neutral, just lifting the pregnancy test. "It's positive. I'm pregnant!" she said.

Shadow immediately closed his eyes and smiled contently.

Sonic, however, rushed over to Amy, taking her into his arms, kissing her passionately. "That's so great, Amy, I'm on cloud 9, I could make love to you right now, just for this reason." he said.

Amy lifted an eyebrow. "Again?" she asked.

Shadow chuckled. "Yeah, give her a break. How many times did you 2 do it last night? 2? 3? I lost count after my turn, being too tired to..." he asked but was interrupted by Sonic.

"It was only 2 times... but I gave her 3 orgasms!" Sonic said.

While Sonic looked self-complacent at his older brother, Amy blushed and cleared her throat.

"Well, let's just say you showed me how much you love me and my then non-confirmed condition, Sonic. You know, I really enjoy making love to you, but I actually could use a break, like Shadow suggested..." Amy said.

Sonic frowned. "Did I tire you out, then? Or... did I even hurt you?" he asked, worried.

Amy smiled affectionately, kissing Sonic's nose. "No, you didn't hurt me. But I fear I'm lacking your stamina. And I'm a little bit sore. Last night was really enough for me!" she said.

Sonic closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to Amy's. "Well, it is also enough for me, then!" he said.

Sonic and Amy kissed. Afterwards, Amy reached out for Shadow with her right hand, embracing and kissing him as well.

Shadow and Amy remained like this for some time, holding each other close then Sonic.

"When will we find out whether it's a boy or a girl?" Sonic asked.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Honestly, have you forgotten everything about mom's pregnancy with Manik?" he asked.

Sonic growled. "No, not everything. But some details might have slipped my mind." he said.

Shadow and Amy exchanged a look.

"It will take a while." Amy said.

Shadow nodded. "Yeah, in mom's case, the doctor only was certain that Manik would be a boy when she was 20 weeks pregnant!" he said.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Did it really take that long?" he asked.

Shadow nodded again, but Amy had other information.

"I've read somewhere that it is already possible in week 17. But, of course, sometimes it is even not possible for the doctors to tell it or they don't want to tell it. Why do you ask? Is it so important for you whether we are having a boy or a girl?" Amy asked.

Sonic looked sheepishly at Amy. "Well, I had a dream last night... Shadow, stop grinning! I did get some sleep after all... well, in this dream I saw a little boy..." he said.

Shadow however frowned. "A boy? Really? Aren't there already enough boys in our family? I think it's a girl this time. Rose, you are the mother. What do you think?" he asked.

Amy sighed then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally a smile spread across Amy's face. "A girl." she said.

Amy didn't know why she felt like this, but somehow she was convinced that she would be having a little girl, with purple or dark quills and Sonic's emerald green eyes or Shadow's crimson red eyes and it didn't matter to her who actually is the father of her child was, knowing full well that Shadow would love Sonic's child like his own as Sonic would love Shadow's child like his own).

...

6 weeks later.

Station Square Elementary School.

Day Time.

Amy asked herself why they called it morning sickness when she experienced it almost all day long.

It was Amy's lunch break and she was emptying her stomach into the toilet pan again. Amy already had to vomit after getting up this morning and then, after she had arrived at school.

Amy was now about 8 weeks pregnant and this afternoon she would have her first ultrasound. Of course, when Amy made the appointment, she totally forgot about the staff meeting after classes, but since the doctor advised her to do the first ultrasound between week 6 and 8 after the positive pregnancy test she already went to her gynecologist for a blood test which confirmed that she was indeed pregnant, she was glad that it was possible for her to get this appointment on short notice.

Some of Amy's colleagues, however, were not. When Amy told the headmaster about her dilemma, he was very understanding, reassuring her after congratulating her that her and her baby's health were the first priority. So, Amy was allowed to not go to the staff meeting but to her doctor's appointment.

But Amy didn't want her colleagues to know about her pregnancy this early and some of them openly wondered why she didn't have to attend the meeting whereas they had to.

Amy didn't care.

Amy would meet Shadow and Sonic at the gynecologist since they wanted to be there as well. But before Amy could go to her car, she had to visit the bathroom again, retching dryly since her stomach was still empty she hadn't tried to eat again since breakfast, only drinking some herbal tea, fearing that she wouldn't be able to keep any food down.

And then, when Amy left the building, a surprise was in store for her.

_"Sonic!"_ Amy thought.

Sonic was waiting in front of the building, his hands behind his back, grinning sneakily when he spotted Amy. "Hey, Amy!" he said, calling for Amy.

Amy hadn't been expecting him. "Hi, what are you doing here?" she asked, stopping in front of Sonic.

Sonic simply shrugged his shoulders then kissed Amy tenderly before pressing something into her hands.

Amy looked down to see that it was a small yellow box with a blue ribbon tied around it. Astonished, Amy smiled up at Sonic raising an eyebrow. "For me? Why?" she asked.

Sonic shrugged again, simply. "Open it. Then you'll know!" he said.

So, with shaking hands Amy untied the ribbon, lifting the top of the box. Inside, there was a small, light blue plush bunny.

"Oh, Sonic, that's so sweet." Amy said whispering, embracing Sonic tightly with both hands.

Sonic laughed. "I'm glad you like it! But actually it's for the little one. I asked in the toy shop whether they had something for newborns. They showed me several plushies. I liked the bunny the best." he said.

Amy broke the embrace, again looking up at Sonic with a raised eyebrow. "But why is it blue?" she asked.

Sonic smiled smugly at her. "Remember my dream? I'm sure it's a boy!" he asked.

Amy smiled back, before kissing Sonic. "Well, we'll see about that... Shadow and I feel that it's a girl... by the way, where is he?" she asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe already waiting for us at the gynecologist, or in front of the building. I asked him to drop me here so that I can surprise you!" he said.

Amy closed the box again then she used her left hand to let her left fingers run through his spiky cobalt blue quills, untangling a few strands.

"That you accomplished indeed! But let's go now, I don't want to be late for my appointment. After all, it will be the first time we can see our baby!" Amy said.

Sonic kissed Amy one last time before taking her left hand into his right, leading her over to her car.

...

10 minutes later.

Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital.

Luckily, it was only a short drive and Sonic and Amy immediately found free parking space.

Shadow was indeed waiting for Sonic and Amy in front of the building. "Finally! Do you know how many women sent me suspicious or angry glances before going inside or after coming out because I'm standing here? They surely think I'm a creep and have bad intentions!" he asked.

Sonic rolled his eyes.

Amy smiled sympathetically at Shadow. "I'm sorry. But you could have just waited with Sonic..." she said.

Shadow shook his head. "No, I felt that it was something he had to do alone, being his idea to buy something and all, and besides, I don't have anything for you, so..." he said.

Amy embraced Shadow as well with her left hand. "It's okay. Though a pink counterpart to support our assumption would have been nice!" she said.

Shadow chuckled before kissing Amy. "Shall we go inside now?" he asked.

Amy nodded.

Shadow wrapped his right arm around Amy's shoulders while Sonic took her right hand with his left hand. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy entered the surgery like this, heading straight for the reception.

The brown cat female receptionist was on the phone, so they had to wait until Amy could announce that she was here for her appointment. Of course, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had to go to the waiting room first and, of course, Shadow and Sonic were the only men there. When they sat down, Shadow on her right side and Sonic on her left side, Amy noticed that the other animal women, a young dark purple weasel mother with a dark purple weasel toddler girl on her lap and a green jackal teenager that 7 months pregnant, sent them curious glances.

Amy didn't care as she was so excited, smiling to herself, she absentmindedly placed her left hand on her still flat belly. Soon it would be as round as the green jackal teenager's.

"How far?" the young weasel mother asked.

Amy looked up. "Excuse me?" she asked.

The dark purple weasel smiled. "How far into the pregnancy are you?" she asked again.

Amy was surprised. "How do you know...?" she asked.

The dark purple weasel woman pointed to Amy's left hand with her right index finger, still placed on her lower abdomen. "The gesture, it's typical. And you have that certain glow about you..." she said.

Amy smiled back. "Oh, well, it must be about 8 weeks." she said.

The dark purple weasel woman just nodded. "Congratulations, then!" she said.

"Thank you." Amy said, happy about the fact that she didn't ask her about her relationship to Shadow, whose right arm was still wrapped around her shoulders, and Sonic, who was still holding her right hand.

Then the green jackal female teenager was called by a nurse and led to one of the different surgeries.

10 minutes later.

the young dark purple weasel mother was also called by the same nurse and was told to leave her child in the waiting room to play with the toys in one corner of the room, but looked unsure about this arrangement.

"We'll have an eye on him." Amy said.

The dark purple weasel woman smiled thankfully at Amy.

"See? That's another omen for our little one being a boy!" Sonic asked, triumphantly.

Shadow and Amy exchanged a look.

"Didn't know you were superstitious, little brother?" Shadow asked.

Sonic stuck out his tongue, but didn't respond.

Amy ignored Shadow and Sonic's banter, watching the dark purple weasel toddler as he was a sweet little thing, about 2 years old with grey-blue eyes, wearing a white shirt and blue shorts, building a small tower from toy blocks. Every time the tower reached a certain height, it collapsed, causing the little weasel boy to make a frustrated sound. Amy smiled. Soon Shadow, Sonic, and Amy could watch their own child building towers with toy blocks, no matter whether it would be a boy or a girl. Finally, Sonic took pity on the dark purple weasel boy, helping him to build the tower, and this time it didn't collapse on its own, only when the boy destroyed it on purpose laughing happily.

Then the dark purple weasel mother came back, thanking Shadow, Sonic, and Amy for watching over Tyler, that was the boy's name, and it was Amy's turn to be led to the surgery. The orange fox female nurse looked confused when both Shadow and Sonic followed Amy, but remained quiet.

Amy was thankful for that.

...

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Amy's Room.

Night Time.

It was late at night and the 3 of them were lying on Amy's bed, talking quietly, Sonic on her left and Shadow on her right, both of them caressing her naked, but still flat belly. Shadow and Sonic had made love to Amy earlier that evening, tenderly, carefully, both of them, minding the child she was carrying. The ultrasound image of their little one was lying on Amy's dark brown bedside table on the left side, together with the light blue plush bunny Sonic had given her for their child.

"I can't wait to see your middle expanding because our baby is growing inside you." Sonic said whispered and leaned down to press a kiss to Amy's stomach.

Amy groaned. "Oh, please, don't remind me of that! I remember pictures of my pregnant mother. She looked as if she had doubled her weight!" she said.

Shadow chuckled. "Well, if I remember correctly, she had 2 babies growing inside of her, you and your brother, didn't she?" he asked.

Amy nodded.

After pressing 1 final kiss to her abdomen, Sonic propped himself up on his right elbow so that he could look at Amy's face, despite it being half-dark in the room.

"You seldom talk about your mother and father or your childhood with them. Only about Scourge and yourself. Why?" Sonic asked.

Amy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because my happy childhood and the illusion of a perfect family ended the summer after Scourge and I turned 18." she said.

For a moment Shadow, Sonic, and Amy fell silent, Amy thinking about what once had been and the 2 hedgehog brothers were probably contemplating her confession.

"What happened?" Shadow asked in a calm and serious tone.

Amy sighed. "My parents sat me and Scourge down one evening when we came home, we had been on a shopping tour with our friends, Cream the Rabbit and Miles 'Tails' Prower. I remember it as if it happened yesterday, Cream wanted that her then boyfriend, now husband Tails, bought some new clothes to look more presentable, and for Scourge it was fun, of course, to choose one outfit after the other for his best friend. It was a warm and sunny day and we were having so much fun! After shopping we all went for an ice-cream, Cream's treat. I can tell you that for me and Scourge it was a perfect summer day." she said.

Amy paused and was grateful that the 2 hedgehog brothers didn't press her, just showing their support by Sonic kissing her left shoulder and Shadow kissing her stomach this time. Taking a deep breath, Amy continued.

"When we came home, we saw several suitcases and bags in the corridor and thought that maybe mother or father or both had to go on a business trip. But then we saw father's red-rimmed eyes and mother's guilty expression." Amy said as she felt tears welling up in her own eyes, but ignored them. "Mother explained that there had been a job offer in Paris, France, at a local art school and she didn't want to let that opportunity slip. After teaching arts at the local college in our town for years it must have sounded like paradise to her!" laughing humorlessly and could feel her unshed tears rolling down her cheeks, she had never cried about her mother leaving, then, unlike Scourge. Angrily, Amy wiped the tears away with both hands.

"But that wasn't the real reason, was it." Shadow said, taking Amy's right hand in his right hand, kissing her tears away from her right cheek. After a moment of hesitation, Sonic followed his example with Amy's left hand and on her left cheek.

Amy shook her head. "No, there was more to it. But I only found out later." she said as she couldn't prevent herself from sobbing.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if it hurts you that much." Sonic said whispering, pressing her left hand compassionately.

Amy shook her head again. "I know. But I need to talk about it! I never have, you know, not with Scourge, nor with my friends..." she said.

Shadow put his right fingers under Amy's chin, forcing her gently to look at him. "Why don't you start from the beginning, hm? I always find it easier to do it like that." he asked.

After searching Shadow's eyes for a hidden meaning and not finding one, Amy nodded. In the meantime, Sonic had rested his head on Amy's chest, listening to her heartbeat, something he liked, as she knew. Shadow, however, gestured for Amy to put her head on his left shoulder, which she did. It was perfect like that. Shadow was someone to rely on, while Sonic never held back with his emotions. Maybe that was the reason why Amy couldn't be happy with her former boyfriends. Something had been missing but she didn't want to think about her past relationships.

The 2 hedgehog brothers needed an answer why Amy was who she was and to be honest, her family history had a lot to do with it. So Amy started from the beginning, like Shadow suggested.

"Our parents were quite young when Scourge and I were born, our mother just 18, our father only 16." Amy said.

Sonic gasped. "Wow, that's really young! How did they meet? And why did they have you so young?" he asked. Amy smiled. "Well, I think Scourge and I weren't really planned. Our parents met at a Halloween party, fell in love with each other and about 7 months and 2 weeks later my brother and I were born."

Shadow snorted. "About 7 months and 2 weeks? Doesn't a pregnancy normally last 9 months?" he asked.

Amy giggled. "Yes, but we were born prematurely, it had something to do with mother being so young and us being twins." she said then she became serious. "Of course, our grandfather, our father's father, didn't believe my mother, claimed that she had already been pregnant when she met my father, which, in turn made my grandmother, mother's mother, furious, mother had explained to her that she had been a virgin before she had met our father. In the end they agreed on a prenatal paternity test, a so called invasive test with the result that father's paternity was proven."

Shadow and Sonic looked at each other for a moment.

"That's an interesting story. What happened then?" Sonic asked.

Amy hesitated. "Grandfather demanded that father had to set his own wrongs right and threw him out with the insistence that he married our mother, which in turn made grandmother happy. So he moved in with mother, they got married and lived happily ever after... until Scourge and I turned 18."

Shadow looked sympathetically at Amy. "You said that your parents are not divorced but that your mother moved away? Did she fall in love with another man?" Amy shook her head. "No, she didn't, at least not then, she only met Miguel, her current partner, when she turned 40, 4 years after she had moved to Paris."

Sonic drew his eyebrows together. "But why did your parents split up then?" he asked.

Amy shrugged. "Mother hinted at father being... not faithful. But it wasn't with another woman, as far as I know. She was really vague. But I remember her saying that our father actually preferred men. But of course, since they had been that young when falling in love, he didn't really know about it then. And despite everything I'm sure that my father loved my mother then and still loves her now. But I think that mother never really had time to figure out what she wanted from life, being a mother and a wife at an age when other girls go to parties, do crazy things, are carefree. But she assured me that she never, not even for a second, regretted that she had us."

Sonic smiled impishly at Amy while kissing the spot above her heart, between her slightly bigger breasts. "And now your parents will become grandparents!" he said.

Amy smiled back, letting her left fingers run through Sonic's quills. "Yes they will as will your parents!" she said as she bit her lip, contemplating what she already knew about Shadow's and Sonic's parents.

Of course, Amy knew their mother, Aleena and she remembered what Aleena had told her about the 2 hedgehog brothers' fathers, which wasn't much, only that they had different fathers.

"So, Shadow, Sonic, your mother mentioned that you 2 don't have the same father. But who are your fathers?" Amy asked.

The 2 hedgehog brothers looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, we know their names and we have seen pictures, but we have never met them personally." Shadow said glancing at Sonic

Sonic shrugged. "When we registered on the website for sperm donors and co-parents and needed to know whether our fathers were genetically healthy, mom assured us that they were. And that was actually all we needed to know." he said.

"Living together with our uncles was enough for us, they really became father figures. And after uncle Rob's death, Charles totally took over that role." Shadow said.

Yes, Amy could imagine that, remembering the tall, dark and serious looking hedgehog man and the way he interacted not only with Shadow and Sonic but also little Manik and for some reason she felt content. Amy's baby would have an unconventional but loving family on both sides.

* * *

End of Chapter 4.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

Everyone in their usual outfits.

...

A few weeks later.

New Mobotroplis.

DEC Goods Store.

Day Time.

Amy Rose hated grocery shopping.

It was a boring task to buy stuff that would sooner or later be consumed and thus needed to be replaced which then led to more grocery shopping. Like a vicious circle. Plus the adults in the supermarket were usually stressed out, the kids whiny. So there were things Amy would rather do on a Saturday morning but Shadow and Sonic had promised their mother to buy the things she would need to cook a 'substantial homemade dinner', as she had called it, and Amy wanted to spent some time with the 2 hedgehog brothers.

Of course, the supermarket was crowded, as was typical for a Saturday morning. Amy started to regret her decision to accompany Shadow and Sonic as she should have followed Aleena's advice to take a nap because she was really exhausted.

"Shadow, Sonic, hi, haven't seen you in ages. How are you, lads?" a drawling female voice called while Shadow and Sonic were pushing their shopping cart through the fruits and vegetables section.

The 2 hedgehog brothers froze, looking at each other with uneasiness. Amy frowned at Shadow and Sonic, then she turned towards the source of the voice.

It was a beautiful and tall red and cream colored fox woman with shoulder length red, spiky hair, cyan blue eyes, and killer curves.

Sonic cleared his throat, then he also turned towards the red fox woman, smiling his typically bright smile. "Fiona! Hey, what a coincidence! We thought you moved away. What happened? Wasn't the big city to your liking? Did you get homesick and missed good, old New Mobotroplis?" he asked Fiona.

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't ask, it's a long story. Let's just say that I've met someone in the city who happens to be from this area... We have decided to settle down here and therefore we have an appointment with an estate agent. I'm just running some errands while my fiancé visits with his family. So, what about you 2? Still living with your mother and uncle?" she asked then curiously looking at Amy while asking that question.

Amy felt uncomfortable as the pregnancy was taking its toll on her body. Although Amy's belly still appeared to be rather flat, she had noticed that her red one piece top didn't really fit her anymore around the waist, therefore she preferred wearing leggings or sweat pants in her free time and then her quills! It was almost impossible to style it, so Amy mostly went for a low ponytail, a loose braid or a messy bun but worst of all was the morning sickness which was rather an all day sickness. Due to the constant vomiting Amy had even lost a couple of pounds instead of gaining weight although she was almost 10 weeks pregnant. Furthermore, Amy's skin was paler than usual, there were dark circles beneath her eyes and she experienced the occasional dizzy spells or headaches. That was the reason why Aleena insisted that Shadow and Sonic came over for the weekend, so that they could take good care of Amy, comfort her.

The only advantages so far were Amy's bigger breasts, she even needed to buy a new bra the other day and Shadow's and Sonic's constant regard and devotion.

"Um, no, actually not." Shadow said to Fiona. "We recently moved in with our girlfriend, Amy. So, let me introduce you... Fiona, this is Amy Rose, our girlfriend. And Rose, this is Fiona Fox, our, well, um..." seemed to be at a loss for words and Amy could imagine what Fiona had been to the 2 hedgehog brothers.

Fiona helped Shadow out, extending her right hand towards Amy. "Let's just say a good old friend. It's nice to meet you, Amy, especially since you seemed to have been able to drag the lads away from their mother's apron strings to which they had been tied for years." she said, smiling conspirationally at Amy.

But somehow Amy felt some kind of resentment towards Fiona and it wasn't because she was jealous.

Of course, she had reason to be, Fiona looked fantastic in her perfectly fitted, a yellow bow on the top of her head, a black belly top, black elbow-length fingerless gloves, a grey belted-skirt with a black buckled-belt, and black skinny pants that have grey padded shoes attached to them, silver hoop earrings, and her impressive engagement ring on her left finger.

Compared to that, Amy looked like very plain, wearing black leggings, one of Shadow's loose-fitting college hoodies and trainers, her quills was pulled together in a messy bun and she wasn't wearing any makeup at all after vomiting twice before breakfast and once more afterwards, she decided to not bother with her looks, being content to just take a hot shower, wash her face and brush her teeth.

Nevertheless, Amy faked a smile, shaking Fiona's right hand with her left hand. "Nice to meet you too, Fiona." she said.

Fiona studied Amy with a raised eyebrow for a moment. "You look rather tired, my dear, I imagine these 2 wouldn't let you get a lot of sleep, right? Oh, I remember vividly how exhausting they can be between the sheets..." she asked.

Amy got the hint of her words, as did Shadow and Sonic. Amy could feel the 2 hedgehog brothers moving closer to her and while Shadow just cleared his throat, Sonic drew his eyebrows together and put his left arm around her shoulders.

"No, we take good care of her and treat her well because she is important to us, especially now when carrying our child. By the way, that's the reason she looks tired: her pregnancy." Sonic said.

For a moment, surprise and envy were visible on Fiona's face then she put back on her mask of false friendliness.

"Oh, well, I think congratulations are in order, then. So, now I must leave you 3 to your grocery shopping because my fiancé is waiting for me and I promised to get some champagne for later. I'm sure we'll meet again on occasion! Goodbye, you 2! Oh, and Amy!" Fiona said then she headed for the meat section.

"Well, that was interesting." Amy said, freeing herself from Sonic's left arm, starting to push the shopping cart further through the fruits and vegetable section, crumpling up the shopping list in her right hand.

"You're pissed, aren't you?" Sonic asked following Amy, putting his left hand on her right arm.

Amy shook it off Sonic's left arm. "Of course I am." she said, stopping in her tracks to face Sonic. "Do you have any idea how I feel right now? Running into your gorgeous looking ex-lover while I look and feel like death warmed up? Do you have any idea how hard this pregnancy is on me?"

Sonic looked helplessly towards his older brother.

Shadow sighed, joining Sonic and Amy. "Hormones." he said to Sonic then he smiled down at Amy. "Well, to us you look beautiful, especially because you are with child. Our child! And Sonic was telling the truth. You are important to us, more than she ever was, more than any other girl we have dated. We love you, with body, heart and soul! And nothing will change that, no matter how many other ex-lovers we happen to meet again."

Amy believed Shadow but there was something in his statement that caught her interest. "How many are there?" she asked as she wanted to know.

"What?" Shadow asked confused.

Amy took a deep breath. "Ex-lovers. How many?" she asked.

Shadow and Sonic had never talked about former relationships for whatever reason, maybe it was a mistake that they hadn't. Maybe it would be a mistake to do so. But Amy needed to know with how many women Shadow and Sonic had shared their bed or how many women had taken them to theirs. Shadow and Sonic glanced at each other, seemingly communicating without words. Then, Sonic shrugged his shoulders, nodding slightly. Shadow sighed again.

"About 6? Maybe more..." Sonic asked.

"Maybe more?" Amy asked slowly.

Shadow shrugged. "It depends whether you just want to count the relationships or also a couple of one-night-stands..." he said.

Amy huffed and shook her head. "Oh, my god." she said, whispering and started pushing the cart again with both hands. Amy wanted to get out of here.

"Hey, I don't understand your attitude right now. I know that you are upset about meeting Fiona and I know that you are not well due to the pregnancy. But you must have certainly assumed that you were not our first lover." Shadow said to Amy.

Amy stopped, closing her eyes.

Of course, considering the 2 hedgehog brothers' talent in bed, it had been clear to her that they had some experience. Surely more than Amy. But Amy had thought. Well, to be honest Amy hadn't thought about Shadow's and Sonic's former lovers at all. Until now.

Shadow and Sonic approached Amy, tentatively reaching out to her. Amy let them touch her, feeling Sonic's left hand on her lower back, Shadow's right hand on her left shoulder.

"Everything okay again?" Shadow asked.

Amy nodded. "Yes." she said, whispering.

Shadow smiled genuinely down at Amy then he took her face between his hands, pressing their foreheads together.

Afterwards, Sonic did the same. "It's true, you know, we love you more than anything else in the world... well, except from our child. Or each other. And mom. Oh, and..." he said but was cut off.

Shadow cleared his throat. "It's okay, Sonic, you should better shut up now. Before you'll ruin everything again." he said.

That made Amy laugh because she couldn't be angry with Shadow and Sonic, not for long because she loved them, more than she was ready to admit. For now.

"Okay, I say, let's finish the grocery shopping and go home, let's have some tea and watch a movie or whatever it is you want to do Rose." Shadow said.

Amy smiled up at Shadow. "Tea sounds good. Herbal tea. And we should talk. Really talk." she said.

And Shadow, Sonic, and Amy would do so in private as they had already entertained the people in the supermarket enough with their drama and it was time to speak about the skeletons in their closests.

...

20 minutes later.

The Hedgehog House.

When they came home from the grocery shopping, Shadow and Sonic helped their mother and Chuck to store the food in the refrigerator and the pantry, while Amy headed upstairs to lie down and take a nap in Shadow's and Sonic's room, she really was tired. When Amy woke up, the 2 hedgehog brothers were sitting on the other bed, a tray with 3 tea cups plus saucers and a teapot as well as a plate with sandwiches were waiting on the nightstand next to the bed she had occupied.

Shadow and Sonic smiled fondly at Amy.

"Hey, beautiful." Sonic said as Amy opened her eyes.

Amy stretched. "What time is it?" she asked, sleepily.

"Lunch time." Sonic said, grinning from ear to ear then he got up from the bed lifting the tray with both hands, unfolding the little legs attached to it and gesturing for Amy to sit up in bed, which she did.

Then Sonic placed the tray on the bed. "Chuck made us some sandwiches when we told him and mom that you were not feeling well and that we would prefer to watch over you instead of having lunch with the family. Mom made some herbal tea which should help you with your sickness. But she is worried, of course." he said, poured the tea into the cups with his right hand, handed one to his older brother with his left hand, placed a second one on the floor next to the bed while sitting down cross-legged, looking expectantly at Amy.

Amy frowned at the plate with the sandwiches as they looked delicious and she was really hungry, but she wasn't sure if she could risk eating. Maybe the tea would help Amy to keep the food down, so she lifted the cup to her lips with her left hand, taking a small sip. It tasted surprisingly good and sweet. "Why is it sweet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sonic shrugged. "Mom put some honey into it, said it would be good for you." Amy smiled fondly. _"Yes, that sounded like Aleena."_ she thought.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy sipped their tea in silence for a while then Sonic cleared his throat.

"So, what about the talking part?" Sonic asked.

Amy put her tea cup down, taking a deep breath. "Well, first of all, I'm sorry for causing that scene in the supermarket. I clearly overreacted." she said.

Sonic snorted. "Don't worry about it. You are allowed to overreact. It's just the hormones." he said, which caused Shadow to wrap his right knuckles against the back of Sonic's head.

"You are not very sensitive, are you?" Shadow asked, scolding his younger brother while kneeling down on the floor next to him.

"Ouch, that hurt!" Sonic said complaining, glowering at his older brother.

Amy giggled. "Boys, no fighting." she said in a mock serious tone but then she turned serious in earnest. "Yeah, maybe it's just hormones, but I really felt uncomfortable in that supermarket. I wasn't prepared to face any of your previous lovers and then, well, there was something about her that provoked me. Maybe it was her good looks or her perfect styling or the way she talked down to me, as if I wasn't good enough for you, as if she wanted to hook up with you two again." she said.

The talking helped Amy to come to terms with her feelings for the 2 hedgehog brothers, her insecurities concerning this relationship.

Shadow and Sonic exchanged a look for a moment.

"Well, I don't think she was interested in hooking up again. Did you see that ring on her finger? Her engagement ring? Shads and I would never have been able to afford something like that. And besides, our relationship with Fiona was more... casual. She had her fun with us, we had ours with her. That's it!" Sonic questioned.

Amy drew her eyebrows together, nodding. "And... what about the other girls you mentioned?" she asked finally, not being able to look at Shadow and Sonic.

"Well, I had my first girlfriend when I was 17 and we stayed together for 4 years." Shadow said. "She was the only girl who meant almost as much to me as you."

Amy felt a slight twinge in her stomach when hearing this, but she was thankful for Shadow's honesty.

"And I was 15 when I had my first girlfriend and I have to admit that I was totally in love with her for as long as it lasted, which was about 3 years." Sonic said while taking Amy's left hand into his right hand, entwining their fingers.

For some reason that hurt Amy more than Shadow's confession. Maybe because Amy enjoyed how emotional and affectionate Sonic was towards her, and she didn't want to imagine him acting the same way towards somebody else.

"And then?" Amy asked wanting to know, pressing his right hand slightly, looking him in the eyes.

Sonic shrugged. "After Perci and Staci Bandicoot, that were their names, they were twin sisters by the way, we never had separate girlfriends again, always sharing the same women. Of course, girls who are ready to have a threesome are normally not looking for anything serious." he said then and after a nudge from Shadow. "Of course, you are different. That's why we love you so much."

Sonic smiled at Amy and pressed a soft kiss to her left hand.

"Rose, you might not be our first, but you will definitely be our last!" Shadow said, gently stroking Amy's right cheek.

This confession prompted Amy's next reaction, pulling Shadow in for a heated kiss while Sonic had the presence of mind to place the tray on the far floor before joining in and since the single bed really was too small for 3, she slipped from the bed, onto the floor, into the 2 hedgehog brothers' arms.

Shadow and Sonic hadn't been intimate in quite a while because Amy wasn't in the mood for it feeling too unwell due to her constant sickness and being too stressed out due to her heavy workload and she was glad that the 2 hedgehog brothers had respected her wishes, never urging her, but now she wanted to feel, to touch, to taste them again, craving their kisses and caresses.

Amy let Shadow and Sonic undress her while helping them with shedding their own clothes and then, they were finally naked. Shadow was embracing Amy from behind, nuzzling her neck, cupping her breasts with both hands as he teased her nipples, while she could feel his hardness pressing against the small of her back, and Sonic was kissing down her stomach while gently spreading her legs, kissing her most intimate body part, pleasuring her with his mouth. It didn't take Amy long to reach her peak.

"Sonic!" Amy said yelling as she pulled on Sonic's quills with both hands.

Then, when Amy finally came down, Shadow and Sonic switched places, now Sonic was holding her, caressing her breasts with both hands, kissing her throat, while Shadow was settling down between her thighs, using his lips and tongue to satisfy her. Again Amy climaxed very soon, being still sensitive from her first orgasm. While Amy was shuddering with aftershocks, she felt something wet and sticky on her lower back.

"Sorry." Sonic said whispering into Amy's right ear then he kissed her temple.

_"Oh my, did he just... Without being touched? Only from watching me cum?"_ Amy thought wondering, smiling smugly. _"Well, he was quite young but older than me, after all."_

And then when Shadow crawled up Amy's body, she noticed that his member also wasn't as erect as before.

"What's wrong Shadow?" Amy asked, looking questioningly at Shadow.

Shadow winked at Amy. "Took care of my own needs while pleasuring you, so that you wouldn't have to bother with it afterwards!" he said then he kissed her forehead.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy rearranged their positions, settling down on the rug between Shadow's and Sonic's beds, the 2 hedgehog brothers pulling down a colorful wool blanket from one of the beds, spreading it over their naked, sweaty bodies, holding her close, all of them slowly dozing off.

"Ames? What about you?" Sonic asked, suddenly wanted to know.

Amy didn't understand. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Sonic was holding Amy from behind, his right hand gently caressing her stomach, while her head was resting on Shadow's furry white chest, listening to his heartbeat. Amy was surrounded by Shadow and Sonic's warmth and their scent, Shadow's like caramel and coffee, Sonic's like licorice and cinnamon, feeling secure.

But then Sonic elaborated. "Your ex-lovers. I remember you mentioning something before we made love for the first time, about your last time with a guy. You said he hadn't been gentle..." he said.

Amy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Amy would rather not talk about it, but Shadow and Sonic deserved to know the whole truth. After all, Shadow and Sonic had been honest with Amy as well.

Amy cleared her throat. "He... he raped me." she said to Shadow and Sonic, thus admitted it to herself.

"What?" Sonic asked sharply, sitting up looking at Amy with a horrified expression.

"Rose, oh, my god! I'm so sorry! Do you... want to talk about it?" Shadow asked as he was also sitting up, dragging Amy with him holding her close with both hands.

Amy nodded and then she told them everything that had happened when she was 21, how she went home with Mephiles, how he suddenly turned into a monster, hurting her, the shame she felt afterwards.

Sonic was hugging Amy from behind, kissing her quills. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? That was something we definitely needed to know before sleeping with you! We would have been more considerate then." he asked.

Amy smiled. "You were considerate enough for me. Both of you!" she said.

Shadow and Sonic fell silent again.

Shadow cleared his throat. "But he wasn't your only experience." he said.

Amy shook her head, smiling. "No, fortunately not." she said.

Amy told Shadow and Sonic about meeting her first real boyfriend when she was 15, how they had split up almost 2 years later, only to get together again when she had been 18 and met him coincidentally at university because they enrolled in the same course. This time, their relationship only lasted 1 year, but she finally lost her virginity to him. When Amy had been 20, she had met her last boyfriend before Shadow and Sonic, but the relationship had also been over after only 1 year, when she was 21.

"And you didn't have any sex during all those years? No one-night-stands?" Sonic asked unbelievingly.

Amy blushed. "No. My only attempt at a one-night-stand or a casual fling or whatever went terribly wrong, remember? After the rape I wasn't really interested in sex anymore!" she asked.

Shadow took Amy's face between his hands, looking into her eyes. "Well, obviously you changed your mind about that or... are you only doing it to please us? Because you don't have to, you know?" he asked to Amy.

Amy smiled up at Shadow. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not that selfless, I really enjoy the sex with you 2!" she said.

Shadow smiled down at Amy. "Good. But I think we should clean up, drink the tea and eat the sandwiches. I'm sure that sooner or later Mom or Chuck will ask us to help with dinner preparations and I'd rather not face them like this, naked and smelling of sex..." he said.

Both Sonic and Amy chuckled but agreed with Shadow.

...

Night Time.

1 hour later.

The dinner, cooked by Chuck and Aleena, looked and smelled wonderful. It consisted of steaks well-done for Amy, because she was pregnant, medium rare for Chuck, Aleena and her older sons, rare for Charles, whereas little Manik had some chicken, spinach because it was full of folic acid, something every pregnant woman needed, though the boys despised it and fried potatoes because it was Shadow's and Sonic's favorite.

Since Amy really felt better, Aleena's tea actually seemed to have helped her, she felt confident to eat and keep down this rather hearty meal she had already eaten one of Chuck's peanut butter and blackcurrant jelly sandwiches in the afternoon without throwing up afterwards.

However Amy could feel Aleena's eyes on her and whenever she looked up, the older hedgehog woman was regarding her with a concerned expression then, Charles dropped a bombshell.

"There was a rather interestingly young lady in our shop today, saying that she was friends with you, Shadow and Sonic." Charles said and the 2 hedgehog brothers turned rather pale while Amy dropped her cutlery onto her plate, startling everyone around the table, but especially little Manik, who immediately started crying.

Amy blushed. "I'm sorry." she said, lowering her gaze.

Chuck was busy to comfort his son, so he didn't notice the tense atmosphere.

"What friend?" Aleena asked sternly.

Charles shrugged while cutting his steak into little pieces. Amy could see the bloody meat juice gathering on Charles's plate and felt bile rising in her throat.

"A tall and beautiful red fox who has just signed a sales contract for a nice mansion in one of the neighboring towns, together with her husband-to-be, and asked if we could design and built the fence for their property as well as the front door." Charles said.

Sonic cleared his throat. "That's great, isn't it? It sounds like a huge order and will certainly bring a lot of money, considering her engagement ring her fiancé seems to be ri–ouch!" he said but was interrupted by his older brother who nudged him with his right elbow.

"Sonic! You really should learn when to shut up!" Shadow said.

Aleena looked between her brother and her sons, eyebrows drawn together. "How do you know about her engagement ring, Sonic? What's going on?" she asked.

That was too much for Amy. Mumbling an excuse, Amy rose from the dinner table and stumbled towards the bathroom, emptying her stomach. For a while Amy was only focused on her vomiting and her contracting stomach, until her body got rid of what little she had already eaten of the delicious dinner then, she felt a warm and gentle left hand on her back.

"You okay, dear?" Aleena asked.

Amy wiped her mouth with the back of her left hand and nodded.

Aleena gestured for Amy to sit down on the rim of the bathtub then she flushed the toilet and wetted a washcloth, which she handed over to Amy with her right hand. "Here, clean yourself up." she said.

Amy did just that, enjoying the feeling of the rough terry cloth in combination with the cool wetness and smell of fabric softener. Afterwards, Aleena offered Amy a toothbrush mug with lukewarm water with both hands so that she could rinse out her mouth.

"Thank you." Amy said then started crying, for whatever reason.

In an instant, Aleena was at Amy's side, hugging her, offering motherly warmth and comfort.

"Shh, my sweet girl, don't worry, the boys adore you, they would never risk what they have with you for a little bit of fun with some slut!" Aleena said.

In the background, Amy could hear Charles yelling at his nephews while Shadow and Sonic seemed to defend themselves and Chuck was alternately trying to calm down his distressed son and furious lover. Shadow and Sonic had revealed what kind of relationship their uncle had with Chuck.

Amy completely let go. It was the only motherly embrace Amy had received in quite a while, clinging to Aleena like a drowning woman, crying and sobbing as if there was no tomorrow.

When Amy was finally calming down, Aleena wiped away her tears with her thumbs, then kissed her forehead.

"So, let's now just wash your face and make you presentable, so we can go back to dinner and interrupt the men before they kill each other!" Aleena said.

Amy had to smile at that comment. For months Amy hadn't been sure if Aleena really liked her or was just interested in her womb and her ability to bear children. But now, after this moment they had shared, after the tenderness this woman had shown towards her, she was convinced that Aleena really liked her for who she was.

When Aleena and Amy entered the kitchen, Amy could see that Chuck and Manik had fled the scene, Charles was fuming, Sonic was pouting and Shadow looked really uncomfortable.

"I never want to see that woman or her goddamn husband setting a foot on our property again, is that understood?" Charles asked, glaring at his nephews.

"They are not yet married." Sonic said.

"Sonic!" Shadow said, angrily.

Aleena cleared her throat. "So what was this shouting match all about? I can see that you frightened away Chuck and my youngest son, Charles. This wasn't only about the possible infidelity of the boys, was it?" she asked.

Shadow winced. "Mom, how can you even assume something like that? We love Amy!" he asked, incredulously.

Aleena snorted. "Men. I know you, you are all the same. Though I raised you better." she said, her strong right arm was still wrapped around Amy's shoulders as she led her over to her chair then she sat down as well. "So? I'm still waiting for an answer. What was this all about?"

Charles sent one last warning stare at his nephews, then he turned towards his sister. "Well it's bad enough that this woman is one of your sons' ex-lovers, but what is worse is that this woman is engaged to T.W. Barker's son!" he said.

Aleena's eyes widened. "What? That bastard who is to blame for our parents' and grandparents' deaths?" she asked.

But Amy barely registered her words, the name 'T.W. Barker' was ringing a bell. Suddenly Amy remembered a sharp pain in her most private body part, a sharp pain expression on her face, a pressure on her wrists, a pressure on her mouth. An acid and metallic scent and taste. Valentine's Day. Amy couldn't properly breathe. And then, everything went black.

...

A few hours later.

When Amy came back to her senses, she was lying on Aleena's brown corduroy couch, from left to right Shadow and Sonic kneeling on the floor next to her Shadow's left hand on her left shoulder, Sonic's right hand in hers, their fingers entwined, Aleena was sitting on said couch, checking her pulse. Chuck, rocking a thumb-sucking Manik with tear-tracks on his cheeks in his arms, was also looking at her, a worried expression on his face.

Immediately, Amy tried to sit up. "What... happened?" she asked and was pressed back down by Aleena.

"Shh, my dear girl, nothing serious, you just fainted, Dr. Aardvark confirms that it's normal to happen to pregnant women from time to time... Here, drink this!" Aleena said, pressing an orange cup to Amy's lips with her right hand which smelled of different herbs and contained a warm liquid.

Amy made a face.

Aleena snorted. "I know, it doesn't smell and taste well, but according to Diane, it will help you with your sickness... and other pregnancy related problems." she said.

Then suddenly a tall gray furred middle-aged aardvark woman appeared behind Aleena, smiling fondly at Amy. "Hello, my dear, you really should try to relax, to let others take care of you, you are too tense, it's not good for the baby." she said.

The grey aardvark woman's words made Amy wince.

_"Why was everybody in this stupid town suddenly informed about my condition? Why didn't I stay in the anonymity of my home? Watching movies, reading books, listening to music, like I did before she met Shadow and Sonic?" _Amy thought.

Suddenly Amy felt bad for her own thoughts as she loved the 2 hedgehog brothers and she knew that they and their family were just concerned about her and of course her baby.

_"So, why was I feeling such anger towards them from time to time? Was it really just the hormonal changes in my body due to the pregnancy?" _Amy thought.

"Diane Aardvark is a midwife. She helped me through my pregnancy with Manik and his delivery. I called her already this afternoon because I was concerned about your constant sickness, and then I called her again after you fainted and she immediately agreed to come over and have a look at you." Aleena said.

Amy had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Aleena's care touched Amy, but on the other hand she felt patronized.

So Amy just smiled took a deep breath and tried to sit up again this time, Aleena let her.

"Thank you, Aleena. But I think I don't need a midwife. I'm already seeing a gynecologist. Actually I have an appointment with him Monday afternoon because of my morning sickness." Amy said, friendly but determined.

Aleena frowned. "Well, I'm happy to hear that, but seeing a gynecologist doesn't mean you can't also see a midwife, actually I was also seeing a gynecologist during my pregnancy with Manik." she said.

Amy considered Aleena's answer. _"Maybe Aleena was right."_ she thought.

So Amy nodded, while smiling sweetly at Aleena. "Yeah, I'll happily let her examine me and will talk to her, if it appeases you." she said.

Aleena smiled genuinely at Amy, caressing her right cheek with her left hand. "Thank you!" she said.

…

A few days later.

Station Square.

Crème de la Crème.

Day Time.

When Amy entered the Crème de la Crème for a quick lunch, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Sitting at Amy's favorite table was someone she would rather not see a beautiful red fox woman, cunning. It was Fiona Fox.

Amy decided to leave immediately, but before she could flee, Fiona spotted her, calling out to her as if they were good friends. Well, according to Fiona, she once had been a good friend of Shadow and Sonic, maybe this circumstance made her believe that she was also good friends with her former lovers' girlfriend and the girl her fiancé had raped once.

"Hey, Amy, over here!" Fiona said.

Since Amy didn't want to cause a scene because some of the other guests were curiously looking at her, Amy took a deep breath, smiled a fake smile and went over to Fiona.

"Hello, Fiona what a surprise to meet you here." Amy said, unconsciously putting her right hand to her lower abdomen.

For a moment, Fiona drew her eyebrows together at the gesture, but then she was all smiles and politeness. "Yeah, what a coincidence! It's great to see you again, especially since you are looking better than the last time we met!" she said.

Amy had to admit that this was probably true. Diane gave Amy a mixture of different herbs she should use to brew a strong tea 3 times a day and taught her methods to relax. It was really helping Amy with everything she had to deal with, like the changes in her body, Sonic just claimed the other day that she started to show a baby bump whereas Shadow was not so sure, the mood swings, the cravings, the occasional morning sickness which now really only occurred at morning, job-related stress.

Amy remembered her good manners and answered smiling. "Thank you, you also look great" she said hoping, that her voice didn't sound as fake as she thought.

But Fiona simply smiled back and extended her left hand, gesturing towards one of the chairs. "Come, have a seat!" she said.

Now it was official. Amy would have to spend her lunch break with Fiona, if she hadn't wanted to avoid her colleagues' gossip, she would have spent lunch break at school. Amy couldn't decide which was worse, Fiona's company or her colleagues' chatter.

So, Amy sat down, ordering a peppermint tea when the waitress came over, serving Fiona's caramel macchiato.

Fiona took a sip, then she smiled blissfully, licking her lips before putting the glass back down with her right hand. "This is really good! No wonder our estate agent recommended this café to us." she said.

Amy remained quiet.

Fiona didn't seem to notice. "Anyway, I'm glad to meet you again without the boys. The situation in the supermarket, well, it was a little bit tense, wasn't it? I understand, you weren't feeling well due to your pregnancy and not prepared to meet someone from Shadow's and Sonic's past, but let me assure you leaving them and leaving town was my best decision. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to push my career and make all this money and I certainly wouldn't have met my fiancé! So there is no reason for you to be jealous!" she asked.

Before Amy could say anything, the waitress brought her peppermint tea. Thankfully Amy took a sip with her left hand then she forced herself to smile. "Don't worry Fiona, I wasn't jealous. You just met me at a difficult moment. I have to admit, I really felt unwell, but now it's better. So no hard feelings!" she said, hoping that she sounded convincing enough.

Fiona studied Amy for a moment then she smiled broadly. "Fine! I'm glad to hear that." she said.

For a while Fiona and Amy were sipping their drinks in uncomfortable silence.

At some point, Amy had to go to the toilet.

...

5 minutes.

When Amy came back, Fiona had almost finished her caramel macchiato. Fiona and Amy were having some light small talk then Amy coming to the conclusion that the red fox woman didn't mean any harm and probably didn't know that her fiancé was a rapist and it wasn't her job to tell her.

"Anyway, it was nice to talk to you, Amy. I know, that we won't be friends, but at least we can be civil with each other when our paths cross the next time!" Fiona said then she gestured for the waitress to come over in order to settle her bill.

Amy frowned while finishing her own cup of tea, she wasn't sure but somehow it tasted a little bit off, bidding Fiona farewell then Amy also paid for her drink and left.

…

Station Square.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Night Time.

When Amy woke up, she experienced a minor cramp in her lower abdomen as if she was getting her period but she was pregnant!

Panicking, Amy sat up in be, disentangling herself from Sonic on the right side, reaching over to switch on the bedside lamp on the left side. That was when Amy noticed something wet and sticky between her thighs and upon checking she saw that it was blood, pressing her hand to her mouth, she whimpered.

_"That couldn't be!"_ Amy thought, sadly.

"Sonic." Amy said, whispering.

Of course, Sonic didn't react so Amy shook his left shoulder.

"Sonic!" Amy said.

Sonic woke with a start, looking at Amy with an unfocused gaze.

"What...?" Sonic asked, rubbing his eyes with his right hand.

"I'm... I'm bleeding!" Amy said.

Sonic needed a moment to understand Amy properly as he really wasn't a morning person, contrary to his older brother.

"You... What? What do you mean?" Sonic asked.

Amy took a deep breath in order to explain it to Sonic, when his eyes wandered down to her lap where a huge blood stain was visible on the front of her light yellow sleeping shorts.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh shit!" he said then his eyes met Amy's. "Amy, does that mean..."

Sonic didn't finish his sentence and just stared at Amy as she could tell that he was as afraid as she was.

"I don't know. I need to see a doctor." Amy said but didn't make any move to get out of bed.

Sonic ruffled his quills with both hands, obviously thinking hard. "Right. A doctor. I will call an ambulance. They'll bring you to the hospital. Don't worry, everything will be alright." he said, trying to reassure her but it didn't really work.

Amy knew what it meant that she was bleeding and having cramps. Amy was losing the baby!

Sonic got out of bed searching for his phone and when the bedroom door opened and Shadow walked in, a white towel wrapped around his waist, his black and red, spiky quills wet from the shower.

"You guys saw a ghost or something?" Shadow asked when he noticed Amy's and Sonic's frightened expressions.

Sonic scowled. "She is bleeding, you idiot!" he said, yelling at his older brother.

Shadow's eyes widened. "What? Rose, is that true?" he asked, concerned.

Amy simply nodded, tears burning in her eyes.

Now, Shadow also looked frightened, pressing his right hand to his mouth breathing hard, he seemed to think about what to do next while Sonic still searched for his phone.

"Right." Shadow said. "We'll call Mom. Wait! No, we'll call Diane. She will know what to do."

Sonic stopped his search. "What to do? We need to get her to a hospital!" he questioned.

Amy started shaking her head. "No. My gynecologist. Take me to my gynecologist. Maybe he can help." she said with a suspiciously low and panicked voice.

Shadow nodded. "She is right. Sonic, can you stop doing whatever it is you are doing? You are making me nervous!" he asked.

Sonic pouted. "I'm looking for my phone!" he said.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "You don't need your phone right now. You need to get ready! It's not yet 7 o'clock. I assume that the gynecologist's surgery will open around 8 o'clock. I'll get dressed and you should get dressed too! Do you... do you need help with cleaning up?" he asked, directing the last part at Amy.

Amy looked at Shadow with big eyes. "No!" she said, feeling embarrassed at the thought that one or both hedgehog brothers would help her to wipe away the blood from between her thighs from her private parts.

When Amy got up from the bed, she felt a slightly stronger cramp and could feel a gush of hot blood running down the inside of her thighs.

Of course, Shadow noticed and extending his right hand towards Amy's left hand.

"Come Rose, let's get those shorts off of you and clean you up a bit! Sonic, get dressed and put out some fresh clothes for her, something comfortable, and don't forget her underwear!" Shadow said to his younger brother.

The spiky cobalt blue hedgehog male swallowed but nodded.

Shadow however took Amy's left hand into his right hand, guided her over to the bathroom. "Let's clean away the blood." he said.

Amy hesitated. "I can do it myself." she said, whispering.

Shadow turned towards Amy. "I know that you can. But, please, let me take care of you!" he said.

Amy bit her lip and lowered her gaze, nodded.

Shadow was very gentle when pulling down Amy's blood-stained and sticky shorts and underpants with both hands, kneeling next to her looking straight into her eyes then he gestured for her to sit down on the edge of her bathtub, while he wetted a washcloth. Then Shadow came back to Amy, again kneeling next to her, nudging her knees apart so that he could wipe away the blood with his right hand.

Amy could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment, yet she also appreciated the gesture. When the washcloth was more red than white Shadow got up and washed it out in the basin then came back to Amy, continued the cleaning.

Finally, Sonic brought Amy's temporary clothes, grey sweatpants, a long sleeved olive green t-shirt with a black bra and black panties, and Shadow helped her to get dressed.

"I need to put a pad in my knickers... s-so that I won't bleed all over the sweat pants..." Amy said, shyly.

Sonic furrowed his brow. "Where do you keep them?" he asked.

Amy gestured towards the shelf next to the basin. "Third drawer." she said.

Sonic rushed over to the shelf, took out a pack of pads, handed them over to Amy.

After Amy had placed one of the pads in her panties and was properly dressed, she tried to pull her quills together in a loose braid. Unfortunately, her quills needed straightening in order to be manageable, but she didn't care about it right now. Not under these circumstances!

Shadow and Sonic guided Amy over to the living room.

"Keep her company while I get dressed!" Shadow said.

Sonic nodded.

So Amy was sitting on her couch, doubled over because the pain was getting worse, while she could feel that more blood was seeping into her pad. Sonic's right arm was tightly wrapped around Amy's waist.

...

6 minutes later.

Shadow came back, now fully dressed in his temporary outfit light blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a black cardigan. "I wrote a note for Silver and Scourge." he said then they left the apartment.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy took Amy's car. Shadow was driving while Sonic was sitting with Amy in the backseat, holding her close. At some point, Sonic took off his black hoodie with the red band logo and handed it to Amy with both hands.

"You're shivering. Take it." Sonic said.

"Thank you." Amy said to Sonic though she didn't elaborate that the shivering was rather due to fright, not cold.

To Amy the drive to the gynecologist seemed to last hours. Of course, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were too early, the surgery hadn't opened yet, so they had to wait in front of the building. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy weren't the only ones though, 2 other patients were waiting there with them, looking curiously at her, from left to right standing between Shadow and Sonic, both hedgehog men supporting her because the cramps were getting worse by the minute. Furthermore, Amy feared that her pad wouldn't be able to absorb all the blood and other stuff that was rushing out of her and later it turned out that her assumption had been right, her sweatpants blood stained while she was still waiting for her turn to see the doctor.

...

Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital.

Waiting Room.

Morning.

In the end, Amy didn't know how long she had to wait to be called into one of the surgeries, but by then she was convinced that it was too late, the cramps were too strong and there was too much blood, to save the baby.

Dr. Ovi Kintobor only confirmed it. Amy's baby had already died without her noticing Dr. Kintobor explained that officially she was 11 weeks and 4 days pregnant, but the baby was only as big as it would have been 4 days ago and he couldn't hear a heartbeat. The baby was dead, he or she had died in Amy's womb.

While Amy only felt numb not being able to even grasp the concept, Sonic started crying heartbreakingly, but neither she nor Shadow could comfort him, dealing with their own grief in their own way. Amy remembered Shadow turning pale while his facial features froze and thought that maybe she looked the same.

Dr. Kintobor explained to Shadow, Sonic, and Amy what was to be done next. Amy was in dire need of a curettage to remove everything from her womb as it could be dangerous to have the dead tissue inside of her, it could lead to an infection which could cause infertility or, in the worst case, lead to her death.

On the other hand, the surgery Amy had to undergo also harbored some risks. Amy's uterus could get damaged and then would have to be removed and she would never be able to have children on her own or, again she could get an infection afterwards. Which then would also lead to infertility.

However, the risks were higher if Amy didn't agree to the surgery so she did.

Amy's gynecologist called the clinic to make an appointment for her for the next day.

Amy couldn't really recall anything after her seeing her gynecologist and receiving the bad news. Amy barely registered the drive home, how Sonic helped her to take a shower or rather showered together with her, crying the whole time in order to clean away the fresh blood, Scourge assailing her with questions which Shadow answered in her stead, Silver explaining that he had told her school what was going when they called because she didn't show up.

Amy was like a puppet on a string, drank some water when Scourge put the glass to her lips, ate some soup when Shadow placed a bowl in front of her, went to bed when Shadow and Sonic guided her to her bedroom. Amy wasn't even embarrassed anymore when Shadow helped her change her pad.

...

Tomorrow.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Day Time.

The next morning it was the same. Shadow and Sonic helped Amy to take a shower and get dressed, then they drove her to the clinic in her own car. Scourge and Silver went with them, following them in Scourge's car.

...

A few hours later.

Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital.

Operating Room.

Amy barely noticed the preparations for the surgery, the paper she had to sign, the medication. At some point Amy had to change into a hospital gown, was hooked to an IV. Shadow and Sonic had to take their leave, both of them hugging Amy tightly, kissing her briefly and she could feel Sonic's tears, Scourge and Silver had already left, Silver looking extremely worried, Scourge openly crying and they were now sitting in the waiting area.

Then the general anesthetic was administered and Amy blacked out.

...

A few hours later.

Waiting Room.

From left to right, Shadow and Sonic were sitting in grey metal chairs in the clinic's waiting area, then from left to tight Scourge and Silver sitting a few feet in front of them.

The small hospital had orange walls, light grey metal chairs, grey linoleum floor, posters with pictures and information about the different stages of pregnancy, about women's diseases and STDs. Shadow felt silent tears burning in his red eyes while holding his younger brother Sonic, who was crying into his right shoulder. From time to time, Shadow rubbed Sonic's back with his right hand or kissed his quills.

Shadow looked over to his younger cousin, Silver. The white quilled young hedgehog man's left arm was tightly wrapped around Scourge, whose face was buried his face in his hands, his right shoulder's shaking. For a moment, Shadow caught Silver's golden eyes and there was some understanding between them. Scourge and Silver had to be strong, they were not allowed to cry as their only signs of grief were Shadow's red-rimmed eyes and Silver's deep scowl.

Shadow had been strong for Amy when the doctor found out that her child-their child-had died in her womb, now he had to be strong for Sonic while the doctors removed any trace that was left of their child from Amy's body.

Dilation and curettage, Dr. Kintobor had explained the procedure to them. To Shadow it sounded brutal and barbaric, but it was something that had to be done.

48 hours ago, everything seemed to be fine. 48 hours ago, Shadow was supposed to become a father or an uncle. Who knew. Now Shadow, Sonic, and Amy would never know. Shadow's child or Sonic's child wasn't allowed to live.

Shadow, Sonic, Scourge, and Silver were not the only people in the waiting area. Shadow looked at the right side and spotted a yellow male echidna that looked to be in his mid 20s who was holding a little orange wolf-echidna hybrid boy on his lap. The echidna man looked sad, the boy confused. Maybe the male echidna's wife or girlfriend underwent the same surgery at the moment like Amy. But the male echidna already held a beautiful and healthy wolf-echidna hybrid boy in his arms. Shadow and Sonic didn't as they only had each other.

11 weeks and 4 days. Amy Rose was 11 weeks and 4 days pregnant when the bleeding and the cramps started. There was so much blood and Amy was in so much pain. Life was not fair. Or maybe it was? Some people said that their relationship was unnatural, wrong, sinful. 2 brothers, Shadow and Sonic sharing one woman, Amy getting her pregnant. Maybe Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were punished for their lifestyle, for their relationship, their love.

But why? Shadow believed that love, true and honest love, could never be wrong or sinful and what he and Sonic shared with Amy was that kind of love. Real love.

The door to the waiting area opened and the doctor came out, wearing his usual outfit.

"Mr. Rose?" Dr. Kintobor asked.

Of course as Amy's older twin brother Scourge was Amy's next of kin.

The green hedgehog looked up, wiping away his tears with his left hand for a moment.

"Yeah?" Scourge asked then he reached for Silver's left hand with his left hand, seeking comfort.

Dr. Kintobor gave Scourge a sad smile. "According to the circumstances she is fine." he said.

Shadow let out a breath he wasn't even aware of holding.

Scourge looked relieved, as did Silver.

Sonic stopped crying and lifted his head from Shadow's right shoulder. "When can we see her?" he asked.

Dr. Ovi Kintobor looked at Sonic, frowning. "She is still under the influence of anesthetics and therefore sleepy. But one of you can go and sit with her." he said then left.

Shadow and Sonic shared a look, then glanced over to Scourge and Silver.

"Who should go?" Shadow asked.

Silver and Scourge looked at each other, then Scourge looked at Shadow and Sonic, his face serious.

"She is my sister, but it was your baby." Scourge said carefully to them. "I think one of you 2 should go."

_"I want to go."_ Shadow thought.

But if it was Sonic's wish to go to Amy first, Shadow would let him.

Sonic cleared his throat. "I-I think it is better when you go, Shadow. I will definitely cry when I see her because now it's all over and I don't want to upset her even more. But you... you are as solid as a rock." he said.

Shadow took a deep breath, nodded, and stood up.

...

1 hour later.

When Amy came to again she needed a moment to understand what had happened, where she was. A male beige wolf doctor was checking in on her, a young green dog nurse tended to Amy then they left and she was alone again. Amy dozed off and only woke up when she felt a strong and calloused right hand holding her left hand. It was Shadow.

Shadow smiled down at Amy when he noticed that she was awake.

"Hey!" Shadow said

Amy frowned. "Where...where is Sonic?" she asked as she wanted to know.

Shadow reached out his left hand to push back a stray strand of Amy's long quills then he frowned as well. "Only one of us was allowed to sit with you. We decided it was better that I went to you." he said.

Amy wanted to ask why but feared the answer. Maybe Sonic's feelings towards Amy had changed. Amy wasn't carrying their child anymore after all.

"It's over, Shadow. It's all over now. Our baby..." Amy said.

Amy couldn't say more. It hurt too much. Amy wanted to cry, but she couldn't. For some reason Amy couldn't. There was still this numbness.

Shadow looked into Amy's eyes, then he got up from the chair he had been sitting in, settled down on the bed next to her right side, embracing her tightly. "I know." he said, whispering. "I know."

Shadow and Amy remained like this for quite a while until the doctor checked in on her again and decided that she was well enough to go home.

...

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were silent when they climbed the steps to their apartment. Shadow's right hand was shaking as he unlocked the door. Amy went straight to their couch, lying down on the left side, facing the TV without switching it on. Amy's arms were still wrapped around her stomach. Shadow wanted to go to Amy, to take her into his arms, to comfort her, but he couldn't.

Sonic didn't even look at Shadow or at Amy, he went into their small kitchen, opening the fridge with his right hand, grabbing a beer with his left hand, sitting down at one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

Silver and Scourge arrived. While Silver joined Sonic in the kitchen, Scourge went straight to his and Silver's bedroom. Shadow looked at the blackboard in the kitchen. The last ultrasound image of their child was still pinned to it, but the child was no more.

Shadow sobbed as it was the first time that he lost his composure as he sat down on the living room floor, burying his face in his hands, and cried and cried even more by the second. Shadow felt 2 pairs of arms wrapping around him.

"It's okay, Shadow. You can cry, we are here." Sonic said.

Amy didn't say anything as Sonic just held Shadow, just like he had held her after the curettage, when they knew that everything was finally over.

When the telephone rang, Silver stood up and walked over to it before he answered with his left hand. It was Shadow and Sonic's mother, Aleena. Of course, Aleena wanted to know how everything went, but Shadow couldn't talk to her. Not now.

Sonic released Shadow walked over to the telephone and took it out of Silver's hand with his right hand as he told their mother that Amy was alright, but she lost the baby. Aleena was great as always and she promised to check in on them tomorrow.

When Shadow couldn't cry anymore, he stood up and went over to the couch, sitting down on the left side, Amy still at his side.

…

4 days later.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Day Time.

Amy couldn't sleep.

Sitting on the couch in the dark living room, Amy's laptop on her knees, she was watching video after video about women who miscarried, who had stillborn babies, whose babies died within the first year due to sudden infant death syndrome. It wasn't fair, and it was so sad. Parents who mourned the loss of their child. Amy couldn't stop crying.

Each new video let fresh tears well up in Amy's eyes because she felt for them, she felt for all those potential mothers and fathers. Of course Amy did as she was one of them now.

This was how Shadow found Amy.

"Hey, what are you doing here, it's half past 3 in the morning?" Shadow asked quietly, coming over to Amy on his bare feet, wearing grey boxers and a red t-shirt then he frowned. "You are crying! What's wrong? Are you in pain? Shall I take you to the hospital?"

Amy shook her head and wiped away her tears with right hand. Amy hated to cry in front of others. So far Amy had been the only one not crying about the loss of their baby, Sonic had cried, as had Shadow and even Scourge. Silver didn't though. But it hadn't been Silver's child who had died, it had been Amy's!

_"Why couldn't I cry about it? Why did I need to watch sad online videos in order to feel anything? What was wrong with me?"_ Amy thought, sadly.

And even Shadow thought that Amy was crying because she was in pain, not because she mourned their child.

"It's not fair!" Amy said sobbing, breaking down completely.

Shadow was instantly at Amy's side on the right, taking her into his arms holding her and kissing her quills. "Shh, I know. I know it isn't." he said.

Amy buried her face in Shadow's chest, deeply inhaling his familiar scent like coffee and caramel, not caring in the slightest that she was drenching his t-shirt with her tears and, well, snot.

Shadow didn't care either just holding Amy, being there for her, supporting her. Sonic wasn't, though. Sonic had barely looked at Amy and definitely not talked to her since the curettage, which had been 4 days ago. Maybe Sonic blamed Amy for the miscarriage. To be honest, Amy blamed herself somehow.

Amy remembered her anger after meeting a gorgeous looking Fiona in the supermarket while she looked terrible and even felt worse due to the symptoms accompanying her pregnancy. At that moment, Amy had wished that she weren't pregnant then, so that she would have been equal to Fiona, her boyfriends' ex-lover. Later, of course Amy understood how stupid her jealousy had been, both Shadow and Sonic had reassured her that Fiona had only been an affair, nothing serious. Even Fiona had admitted to Amy that she didn't regret leaving the 2 hedgehog boys because her life had only become better since then though Amy couldn't understand why, considering Fiona's terrible choice for a husband-to-be.

Suddenly, the thought of Amy meeting with Fiona unsettled her, almost as if that was the reason for her baby dying. Well, Amy didn't want to go down that road now, it was too much to grasp.

However, Sonic's behavior towards Amy had definitely changed.

Sonic had been so delighted about Amy's pregnancy and had acted very affectionately towards her the whole time she was carrying their child, barely being able to keep his hands off her, but now it was all over. Not only the pregnancy, but also Sonic's affection for Amy, she could tell. That was what seemed to hurt most.

"I miss him, Shadow, I miss Sonic so much! But... but he doesn't love me anymore! He thinks it's my fault that I miscarried!" Amy said.

Shadow tensed and grabbing Amy's upper arms, he held her at arm's length so that he could look into her eyes. "How can you say that? Do you know how much he is suffering? He loves you, Rose, but he also loved our child. He just doesn't want to upset you with his grief. He cries himself to sleep every night, he thinks I can't hear him, but I do! Of course you don't know, you don't let us sleep in your bed anymore..." he questioned.

Amy slapped Shadow's right cheek with her left hand but he was right of course. Amy had banned the 2 hedgehog brothers from her bed on the evening of her curettage because she couldn't stand their closeness, their grief.

It wasn't Amy's hardest punch, though. Being a kick boxer not only a ballet dancer, mind you Amy could have done better. Amy was glad she didn't. Pressing her left hand to Amy's mouth, she looked apologetically up at Shadow.

"I'm sorry, Shadow, I didn't mean to..." Amy said.

Shadow shook his head, smiling sadly. "Oh, I think you did! But I don't blame you, I shouldn't have talked to you like that. It was so wrong, verbally attacking a woman who has just lost a child... Man, if Mom knew this, she would have slapped me herself, or worse!" he said.

Amy could imagine that, a furious Aleena being angry with her oldest son. Amy laughed, while there were still tears streaming down her cheeks.

Shadow had to laugh as well while he loosened his grip on Amy's arms, suddenly frowning. "Did I hurt you? I know you bruise easily, so if this leaves any trace..." he asked then he shook his head, pulling up her sleeves with both hands, checking her peach skin.

"You didn't hurt me, Shadow, I know you never would, not on purpose." Amy said whispering, searching Shadow's eyes.

Shadow met Amy's gaze and for a moment they forgot everything around them.

"You should talk to Sonic, you know. He is very unhappy. And he misses you too. But he doesn't know how to approach you after what happened. You have to make the first step. I know my brother, he is waiting for you to reach out to him. You say that he blames you, but I think he blames himself, for whatever reason. Maybe he thinks that he no that we failed to protect you and our child." Shadow said.

Amy bit her lip and lowered her gaze. "I didn't know he was hurting that much. I was too focused on my own grief." she said.

Shadow put his right fingers under Amy's chin, forcing her gently to look at him. "And you have every right to. But don't shut us out, okay? We are all hurting and we all have to come to terms with the loss of our first child. Let's do it together, then. I don't want this, us, what we have, to crumble under the weight of grief. We have to be honest with each other, support each other." he questioned.

Amy knew Shadow was right and she would try to talk to Sonic. Tomorrow. Now Amy was just exhausted, emotionally, and physically.

"Shadow, can you stay with me? At least until I'm asleep?" Amy asked.

Shadow smiled down at Amy, kissing her forehead. "Yes, of course. But no more watching sad videos, oh, don't look like that, I'm not stupid, I know what you have been doing. And will you let me take you to your bed? I don't think the couch is big enough for the two of us!" he said.

Amy smiled up at Shadow. "Yeah, of course." he said.

So, Shadow carried Amy to her bed and settled down next to her, his arms protectively wrapped around her upper body. Shadow's broad chest touching Amy's back so that she could feel his body heat. It didn't take Amy long to fall asleep.

...

Tomorrow.

Morning.

When Amy woke up the next morning, Shadow was still holding her but he wasn't the only one.

Sonic was also in bed with Shadow and Amy, firmly pressed against her front, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist.

Amy assumed that at some point during the night, Sonic must have woken up and in search for his older brother, ended up in her room. Of course, when Sonic saw Shadow and Amy snuggled up like this, he didn't want to be left out and, therefore, took his place in her bed. Thinking about this scenario, Amy smiled.

Then Amy noticed the tear tracks on Sonic's cheeks and frowned as they were proof to what Shadow had told her, about Sonic crying himself to sleep because he mourned their dead baby. Amy's heart broke at that thought.

As soon as Sonic woke up, Amy would talk to him.

Amy would never allow anything to drive a wedge between the 2 hedgehog brothers and her.

...

10 minutes later.

Sonic woke up to see Amy looking at him sadly.

"Good morning, Sonic." Amy said.

Sonic hesitated. "G-good morning, Amy." he said.

Sonic and Amy became silent for a moment.

"Sonic, I'm so sorry for treating you like that." Amy said.

Sonic held Amy even closer. "You have nothing to apologize for. I should be the one apologizing to you, I ignored you." he said.

Amy started to cry before Sonic pulled her closer, kissing her forehead.

...

2 weeks later.

Kitchen.

Shadow came into the kitchen to see Amy sitting in one of the chairs and sipping some tea from a cup with her left hand. Amy placed the cup down and turned around to see Shadow staring at her.

Shadow and Amy became silent for a moment but felt like hours.

"W-w-we c-can... try again..." Amy said, whispering.

Shadow only nodded. Of course they could. And they would, of course.

...

1 month later.

Amy's Bedroom.

Morning.

Their first time after Amy's miscarriage was awkward.

Shadow and Amy were naked.

Shadow kept thrusting into Amy, hard and deep, but couldn't find his release, neither could she. Lying beneath Amy's right slim leg wrapped around Shadow's hips, the left one thrown over his shoulder, she was moaning and moving in his rhythm, but not climaxing. Shadow could feel Amy nails scratching his back with both of her hands with every thrust, maybe drawing blood, but he didn't care as they needed it rough and they liked it rough. At least Amy liked it rough with Shadow.

Shadow knew that Amy was acting differently when she was with Sonic as their lovemaking was always sweet and gentle, but she didn't choose Sonic tonight. Amy chose Shadow.

Shadow changed the angle, going faster, trying to make Amy cum. Shadow slipped his left hand between his and Amy's bodies, massaging her clit. Amy reacted immediately, arching her back, moaning deep in her throat. Shadow continued with the extra stimulation until he could feel Amy's body shaking beneath him, her muscles twitching around him and her tail wagging.

"Shadow!" Amy said, moaning.

That was all Shadow needed to reach his peak. With one final thrust Shadow spilled deep inside Amy. It wasn't the best orgasm of Shadow's life, but it was his first orgasm with Amy after she lost the baby.

Maybe Amy would conceive, maybe this time their child would live.

Shadow collapsed on top of Amy, breathing hard, burying his face on the left side of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent, like vanilla and cherries. Amy wrapped her arms and legs around Shadow's, kissing his forehead. Shadow was still inside of Amy, feeling their juices mingling, hoping that they created a new life.

"I love you, Rose." Shadow said whispering, pressing a kiss to Amy's collarbone.

Amy remained silent. It didn't matter to Shadow. Expressing Amy's feelings wasn't easy for her.

Then a knock at the door.

"Are you guys done yet?" Sonic asked.

Amy sighed, trying to sit up, pushing against Shadow with her right hand. Shadow got off of Amy, slipping out of her, almost instantly missing the intimate contact. The room smelled of sweat and sex. Shadow and Amy didn't put on any clothes, just covered themselves with a dark purple blanket.

"Yes, you can come in, Sonic." Amy said.

Normally, Sonic wouldn't have waited outside while Shadow and Amy had sex. Neither would Shadow when Amy and Sonic made love, but since the miscarriage something had changed between them.

Sonic opened the door with his right hand, waiting at the threshold, shyly looking at Shadow and Amy. Sonic looked so young and lost at the moment, it almost broke Shadow's heart. Almost.

"Do you mind if I join you tonight? I don't want to sleep alone." Sonic asked.

Of course. In all Shadow's life, Sonic had never slept alone. Sonic had always shared a room with Shadow and after they had met Amy, they had more often than not shared her bed. Literally and otherwise.

Amy smiled that smile she only used with Sonic, full of affection and love. "Of course." she said.

Shadow rolled his eyes. Amy's bed was only queen-sized, so with 3 fully grown animals in it, it was rather crammed. And Sonic was a restless sleeper.

But Shadow loved his little brother more than life, so he could manage. And it was less awkward for Shadow to lie stark naked in Amy's bed with his fully clothed little brother between them than without.

...

Tomorrow.

Morning.

Sonic was finally healing.

Of course, from time to time Sonic still thought about their baby and what could have been but never would be. From time to time Sonic still felt sad and even cried when no one was looking, but this happened less and less and it didn't mean he forgot about their child, though.

Sonic knew that Amy kept a small box with all the memorabilia of their child, like her positive ovulation test and her positive pregnancy test, the first ultrasound images, the light blue plush bunny Sonic had bought for their little one right after Amy had told them that she was pregnant because he was convinced that it was a boy, whereas Shadow and Amy thought that it was a girl, the poem she had written for their child when everything was over, after the doctor told them that the baby had died in her womb, after the miscarriage, the curettage.

Sonic, however, didn't need any items to remember their child. Whenever Sonic closed his eyes, he could see Amy and Shadow and himself with a beautiful baby hedgehog boy that was lavender and dark red like his older brother and him. This was how Sonic had imagined their child, their future with their child, now it was a memory for him. A memory of what could have been.

But Shadow, Sonic, and Amy weren't giving up as they would try again. But first, Sonic needed more time to heal.

Therefore, last night, Sonic didn't really respond to Amy's advances, unlike Shadow. It had been quite a while since they were last intimate due to the curettage Amy had to wait at least 3 weeks before having sex in order to avoid infection and then she wasn't in the mood but they decided to wait more than 7 weeks to continue.

However, Sonic didn't blame his older brother, but he couldn't stand the thought of getting Amy pregnant so soon after the miscarriage because it was possible that she miscarried again. It wasn't likely but possible and Sonic didn't want to lose another baby or be the cause for Amy's suffering.

And suffer Amy did. Not only when Amy's body tried to get rid of their dead child in a very bloody and painful way or when Dr. Kintobor told them that the remains of their baby and the related tissue had to be scraped from her womb, but also afterwards, when she was too sad to even cry.

But maybe now Amy was healing as well because last night she told them that she was ovulating and that she wanted to try again and Shadow was fine with it but Sonic couldn't. Amy understood.

And now, in the first light of morning, Sonic was lying in Amy's arms in her bed, with his older brother beside them, and for the first time in weeks he was sure that soon everything would be alright again.

Their first time after Amy's miscarriage was special.

It happened the morning after Amy and Shadow had been intimate without Sonic. It wasn't planned, at least not on Sonic's part, but when Amy started kissing him, still naked and smelling of sex she had with his older brother but still, his body responded. A part of Sonic was reluctant to touch Amy like that so soon after the miscarriage, images of her being in pain and heavily bleeding fresh on his mind, but she was ovulating and had set her mind on getting pregnant again.

And this time Sonic couldn't resist the temptation Amy's gorgeous body and beautiful face provided, unlike the night before. It felt like heaven, when Amy straddled Sonic, taking his cock deep inside her pussy. Amy felt so good, tight and hot and wet around Sonic. Lying on Sonic's back, while Amy was moving her hips, rocking back and forth, Sonic tried to cherish every moment of their union.

Sonic loved the sight of Amy on top of him, how her long pink quills spilled over her back, tickling his stomach with every movement she made. Sonic loved how Amy's small but well-shaped, pink colored breasts were bouncing up and down in rhythm with her motions, the feeling of her hands tenderly caressing his chest while their bodies were connected in the most intimate of ways and he loved the expression of pure ecstasy on her face, the sounds she made.

Sonic's hands roamed over Amy's body, stroking her flanks, her thighs, massaging her backside, her breasts then he brushed his thumbs over her dark pink erect nipples.

"S-Sonic!" Amy said, moaning.

Sonic could feel that Amy was close as was he.

Sonic let his hands wander over Amy's slim but strong arms, from shoulder to wrist, in order to entwine their fingers, never breaking eye contact with her. Those beautiful jade green eyes. Sonic felt that he could drown in them.

Amy increased the speed of her movements until her whole body went hard while she was arching her back. "Sonic!" she said, yelling.

Sonic could feel Amy's inner muscles convulsing, prompting his own release. It was pure bliss.

_"I-If I died now... I would die a happy man."_ Sonic thought as he came down from his peak.

Amy then smiled at Sonic. "I love you, Sonic." she said whispering, leaning down and kissing Sonic's lips.

Sonic wrapped his arms around Amy, holding her close and pressing his forehead against hers. "Love you too, Ames." he said.

And Sonic did, more than he would have ever thought was possible for a man to love a woman.

Sonic rearranged their position, so that Amy was lying next to him, facing him, her left leg wrapped around his waist while he was still inside her, looking into each other's eyes, holding each other close, kissing.

"Finished?" Shadow asked.

Of course, Shadow had to ruin the moment. To be honest, Sonic had totally forgotten that his older brother was in bed with them. When he had woken up, Shadow had been fast asleep and then his focus was solely on Amy. Sonic didn't know if Shadow had been witness to the whole act and he didn't care. Shadow had Amy all to himself last night, now it had been Sonic's turn.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Sonic said, smirking.

Shadow laughed.

Then Sonic felt the mattress moving while Shadow also changed his position, spooning up behind Amy, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Finally, it was Shadow, Amy, and Shadow of them together again and who knew, maybe she conceived and they would soon be a real family.

...

A few days later.

Station Square.

Scourge and Amy's House.

Living Room.

Day Time.

When Sonic came home, he found Amy and Scourge sitting on the couch in the living room, talking quietly and sharing a bottle of wine while watching something stupid on TV.

Sonic immediately knew what that meant. "You didn't conceive." he said, simply.

Amy looked up at Sonic sadly. "No. Got my period today. I even did an early pregnancy test, just to be sure. But it was negative." she said then took a sip of wine with her left hand.

"Oh shit." Sonic said mumbling and sat down next to Amy on the left side, taking the glass out of her hand with his right hand, emptying it in one drain.

Scourge became annoyed with Sonic. "You know, this was no cheap booze, but one of my father's finest rosé wines!" he said.

Sonic made a face. "Well, to be honest, I didn't taste any difference." he said.

Scourge snorted. "Of course not. You have no palate for exquisite wines." he said.

Amy pinched the bridge of her nose with her right hand. "Guys, stop it, please. I can't stand your quarrels now." she said.

Sonic pouted. "He started it." he said.

Scourge shook his head. "You can be grateful that I allow you to live here, that I let you bang my little sister..." he said.

Amy got angry. "Scourge, stop it, will you!" she said.

Now Scourge pouted as well, but kept quiet.

...

20 minutes later.

From left to right, Sonic, Amy, and Scourge sat on the couch for the next hour, watching TV, without talking to each other. At some point Sonic put his right arm around Amy's shoulders and she leaned into him on the left side.

Then, Shadow came home.

"Oh, what a welcoming atmosphere." Shadow said, sarcastically while hanging his black leather jacket and messenger brown bag on the coat rack, shedding his shoes with both hands and crossing the room to join them on the couch.

"We didn't get her pregnant, Shadow!" Sonic said, as his older brother sat down next to him on the left side.

Shadow first looked at Sonic then at Amy. "Are you sure you are not pregnant?" he asked.

Amy sighed. "Yes." she said, looking almost as desolate as when she miscarried their first child. Maybe for Amy it felt similar.

Shadow nodded understandingly and tried to comfort Amy with the same words she had used on him, after his breakdown. "We can try again." he said.

A sad smile crossed Amy's face. "Yes, and we will." Amy said and reached over Sonic's lap to clasp his left hand with her right hand.

Sonic entwined their fingers. Sonic noted this gesture of affection and smiled to himself while kissing her left temple. "What's for dinner?" he asked.

It was Scourge who answered, while his gaze was glued to the TV screen. "Silver promised to bring some pizza when he comes home." he said.

Everything seemed to be normal.

...

1 week later.

Day Time.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy wore each other's names on their skin.

Sonic's name was inked in curved, black letters on the inside of Shadow's left wrist, while Shadow's name adorned the inside of Sonic's right wrist in the same manner. Shadow and Sonic were brothers, they loved each other and belonged together, always and forever, and they wanted the whole world to know that and then, later, there was Amy as she belonged to them as well.

Therefore, one night after Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had gone through the whole ordeal of her miscarriage and their failed attempt at getting pregnant again, she told them about her decision to get the insides of her wrists tattooed as well, with their names, Sonic on her left one, Shadow on her right one, a token of her love for them.

Shadow and Sonic were overjoyed, deciding spontaneously that they would also get Amy's name inked into their wrists because they belonged together, loved each other, all three of them, and they wanted to show just that.

And so, finally, Amy's name graced the inside of Sonic's left wrist and Shadow's right wrist, and their names hers.

Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy would be connected by their child, the child being the proof of their union, but until then those tattoos were their connection, proving their unusual bond and they didn't care anymore what other people thought about it.

Shadow remembered a red mongoose woman with shoulder-length black hair in the drugstore in Station Square, Amy's hometown one Saturday night, dressed in a light yellow skirt, a long sleeved white shirt, brown sandals, hair perfectly styled, looking disdainfully at them as they were buying their first pregnancy test together. Amy was almost 2 weeks late, something which hadn't happened since her teenage days.

Shadow and Sonic were overexcited, touching, embracing, kissing Amy; it was clear to see for everyone that Amy was involved with them both, that either one of them could be the father.

"People with such low morals shouldn't become parents. It's a shame! Decent women, married and faithful to their husbands, can't have children, but the likes of you..." the red mongoose woman said then shook her head and walked past them.

It was like a slap in the face, especially to Amy. Shadow would never forget Amy's devastated expression. Shadow wanted to counter something, to take verbally revenge, but it was Sonic who said.

"Well, having sex with only one man your whole life doesn't make you a good person, as having sex with two men at the same time doesn't make you a bad one!" Sonic said as his voice was rather loud, so several people turned their heads into their direction.

The red mongoose woman froze.

Shadow was afraid that the whole situation would escalate, so he grabbed his little brother's right arm with his left hand while wrapping his right arm around Amy's shoulders.

"Let's go." Shadow said simply.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy did just that, paying for the pregnancy test and leaving.

And then, their child, this child, tiny and innocent in its mother's womb, died later, cursed by this woman, intolerant and narrow-minded, and others like her.

But now Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were stronger, their love, their bond, was stronger. It wasn't only about sex, it was more, all-encompassing, it was about friendship, trust, desire, love. A unique relationship, sacred as any other between people who truly, deeply cared for one another. Shadow and Sonic had always known that they were inseparable, and finally they found the perfect woman, to love, to cherish, who understood.

And the names they wore on each other's skin were proof to that. Like wedding bands and friendship bracelets, only different.

...

A few days later.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Amy's Bedroom.

Sonic loved being inside Amy.

Not only during coupling, but also afterwards, staying inside for as long as possible, prolonging the feeling of closeness, of connectedness, sometimes even growing hard again while still inside, which then led to another round of love making.

Sonic knew that Shadow felt different as his brother had told him that, of course, for some time after sex he enjoyed the feeling of her around him, Amy's tight and hot wetness, the intimate contact, but not all night long, like Sonic did.

That was one of the reasons why Sonic always let his older brother have Amy first, so that he could take his time with Amy later, cherish her, pleasure her the way he thought she deserved and he was convinced that staying that long inside her afterwards contributed to her becoming pregnant, because this way he prevented at least to some extent their seeds, his and his older brother's from immediately and completely trickling out of her, so that it had more time to find its way into her womb, to impregnate her.

Of course, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy didn't always make love only in order to become pregnant but this time they did again.

Propped up on his elbow, appreciating all of Amy's reactions, Sonic quietly watched as his older brother took her from behind, both of them kneeling on the bed, her backside tilted upwards while she supported herself on her forearms and eyes closed, holding Sonic's right hand with her left hand, while Shadow kept thrusting into her, hard and fast, his fingers pressing deeply into the flesh of her hips, bruising, both of them moaning. Sonic didn't know why but he loved to see Amy together with his older brother, as Shadow enjoyed seeing her with him. To some people it seemed unnatural, kinky, but to Sonic and Shadow it felt right. And Amy didn't mind, accepted it, even liked it.

Then Sonic could see Amy's whole body going hard before shaking.

"Shadow!" Amy said loudly as she reached her peak.

Sonic noticed Shadow thrusting a couple more times into Amy before following her over the edge, groaning deeply, then collapsing on top of her back, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing light kisses between her shoulder blades and on her neck.

Even though Shadow and Amy liked it rather rough during sex, they always showed their affection for each other before and after with gentle kisses and caresses.

Shadow and Amy remained like this for a while, until their breathing became a little bit calmer, then Shadow pulled out of her, causing her to gasp, before settling down on his back, covering his eyes with his left forearm, sighing contently.

Now it was Sonic's turn, pulling Amy over to him, until their bodies were aligned while she was facing him, still lightly panting, her cheeks flushed.

Sonic started kissing Amy, first softly, then with more stamina until she was pressing her body close to his so that he could feel her erect nipples against his furred chest, the wetness between her legs against his crotch. Sonic wasted no time rolling Amy onto her back, settling between her thighs while she wrapped her legs around his waist, slowly and carefully guiding himself inside of her. Sonic and Amy both moaned when he was all the way in, just enjoying for a moment the feeling of being connected like this then he started moving, pushing in and out of her deliberately and deeply, his eyes never leaving hers.

At some point, Shadow drew closer, lying next to Amy on the right side, also propped up on his right elbow, cupping her left breast with his left hand, teasing her nipple with his left thumb, kissing the sighs and little screams from her lips.

It didn't take Amy long to climax, her inner muscles rhythmically clenching around Sonic, prompting him to come as well, crying out her name, seeing stars.

When Sonic finally came down lying on top of Amy, his face firmly pressed into the crook of the right side of her neck, breathing in her vanilla and cherries scent, he was still inside her, intending to stay like this for the rest of the night.

It was Shadow who draped a blanket over all 3 of them with both hands, settling close to Amy, gesturing for her to place her head on his right arm, which she did. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy didn't speak a word but didn't have to as they knew how they felt for each other.

And Sonic was sure that this time Amy would conceive. Amy had to.

After their initial immediate success which ended dramatically with Amy's miscarriage, they had already missed one cycle and failed the other.

Now it would happen. Sonic felt confident about this.

...

2 weeks later.

Scourge and Amy's House.

Living Room.

Evening.

When Shadow came home, he found from left to right Amy and Sonic sitting on the couch in the living room or rather, Amy was sitting while Sonic was lying on the couch, his head resting on her lap while her fingers played absentmindedly with his quills. Sonic and Amy looked expectantly at Shadow.

Shadow took his time to hang his messenger bag on the coat rack and shedding his shoes with both hands. "You guys are bored or something?" he asked while heading into the kitchen, opening the fridge with his right hand and grabbing a bottle of beer with his left hand.

"Shadow, can you please come in here for a sec? We need to tell you something!" Sonic asked, impatiently.

Shadow chuckled, but obeyed his little brother. Meanwhile Sonic wasn't lying on the couch anymore but sitting next to Amy.

Taking a swig from his beer, Shadow entered the living room again. "So? What is it you have to tell me?" he asked, looking from Sonic and Amy.

Sonic seemed to be about to burst while Amy just appeared content. Nevertheless, they waited a moment, exchanged a glance and after a slight nod from Amy.

"We are pregnant!" Sonic said.

Shadow almost dropped his beer. "What? Are you sure?" he asked.

Amy nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'm almost a week late and I did a pregnancy test this morning. It was positive!" she said.

"Oh my, that's great, Amy!" Shadow said and crossed the room, kneeling down in front of her, putting his beer down on the coffee table before taking both of Amy's hands into his, kissing them.

Amy beamed.

Then Shadow felt a pair of arms wrapping around him. "We did it, Shadow! We got her pregnant again. Now, we will become fathers!" Sonic said.

Shadow reciprocated his little brother's hug, but couldn't help to feel a little bit worried. A couple of months ago, they had already been in this situation. And it ended badly. Of course, Shadow hoped for the best, but there was no guarantee that Amy wouldn't miscarry again or something else could go wrong.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked, running her right hand through Shadow's spiky black and red quills. "Aren't you happy?" she studied his face with her intense green eyes.

Shadow forced himself to smile as he didn't want to burden Amy with his worries. "Of course, I'm happy." he said, taking her face between his hands, kissing her lips and released her before he stood up.

"Come on, let's go out tonight, let's celebrate! Where are Silver and Scourge?" Amy asked. "I don't know for sure, but I think Silver is still at the university and Scourge is at the gallery, planning his exhibition."

Shadow nodded. It would have been nice to include them as well, knowing that Silver was still mourning a child he didn't even know existed until it was too late and that Scourge, who was convinced to never have children on his own, would love Amy's child with all his heart but if they had other things to do, well then they would celebrate with Amy's twin brother and their cousin later.

Nevertheless, tonight Shadow wanted to take out his little brother and their girlfriend for a nice dinner.

...

Restaurant Swa.

Evening.

The restaurant looked rather fancy, black and white interior, red flowers on the tables, modern art on the walls.

Shadow was glad that he had been able to make reservations for this evening on short notice as he couldn't hide his smile while he was following the young waitress to their table for three. From left to right Sonic and Amy were directly behind Shadow, he could hear them giggling and whispering with each other and when he turned around, he saw that Sonic's right hand and Amy's left hand were connecting, acting like newly weds.

Shadow knew that Sonic and Amy had already made love that afternoon. Sonic had confessed it to Shadow while he was taking a shower, getting ready to go out after a long and hard day of work, because the good news about her pregnancy had totally overwhelmed his little brother, as he explained, and he wanted to show Amy how much this, how much she meant to him but despite their agreement to never have sex with her or the lovers they had shared before her without the other knowing or while the other was absent, it didn't bother him. Maybe because Shadow felt that all the rules that he and Sonic had established and all the agreements they had made didn't really apply to this relationship. It was something special, unique. Amy belonged to Shadow and Sonic, they belonged to her. Nothing could, nothing would change that. Period.

And if Sonic was honest he had somehow already ignored that agreement himself when Amy had tried to seduce them some time after her miscarriage in order to get pregnant again. Sonic had refused Amy whereas Shadow couldn't resist the temptation her beautiful face and gorgeous body provided. So, while Sonic was sitting in the living room, watching TV, he had sex with Amy in her bedroom, though, admittingly, Sonic took his turn the next morning.

As soon as Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were seated, the waitress lit the candle and asked them what they wanted to drink. Shadow would have liked to order a bottle of champagne to really celebrate their baby, but he thought that it would not be fair if he and his little brother drank alcohol while Amy couldn't so she just ordered a bottle of water. The way this place looked, the water would sure, enough cost almost as much as a bottle of champagne.

Then, when the waitress brought them the menus, Shadow could see for himself how much something simple like a bouillon or a salad cost and he felt his suspicions confirmed. Maybe this restaurant was not really what they could normally afford, but Shadow felt that Amy deserved this treat after all she went through.

"Wow, Shads, did we win the lottery or what?" Sonic asked.

Shadow chuckled. "No, Sonic, but don't you think that once in a while we should take out our girlfriend to a nice restaurant? And don't worry, little brother, when I say we I mean of course that I will pay tonight, even for your dinner." he asked.

Sonic rolled his eyes at him while Amy took his left hand into her right hand.

"Thank you, but that wouldn't have been necessary. You two are too good to be true!" Amy said.

Amy leaned over to Shadow, kissing him on the lips then she turned towards Sonic, kissing him as well.

Shadow heard someone at the table next to theirs gasp and he froze.

...

The family sitting at the table next to theirs was clearly offended by what they had just witnessed.

Sonic could see it in their faces, or rather in the face of the brown chipmunk woman who was in her mid 40s, with fake breasts, peroxide neck length blonde hair and a face that definitely underwent too much plastic surgery, orange eyes, in her usual outfit, a beige dress that reached her knees and beige high heels, her husband, a dark brown squirrel, looked to be in his late 40s, short black hair, dark blue eyes, in his usual outfit, a light grey tuxedo, white dress shirt, and black shoes, that sat there with a neutral expression and the 2 squirrel-chipmunk hybrid kids, a boy and a girl in their early teens, looked rather confused and curious. The boy had brown fur, short blonde hair, blue eyes, and he wore his usual outfit, a blue vest over a white shirt, long green pants, and yellow belt on his belt buckle and the girl had brown fur, shoulder length black hair, long sleeved lavender dress that reached her ankles.

"I can't believe they let people like this eat here, it's disgusting." the chipmunk woman said.

Sonic got furious. "People like what?" he asked.

Sonic could feel Amy's right hand on his left arm.

"Sonic, please, don't make a scene." Amy said whispering, smiling apologetically at the family.

Luckily, Shadow came to Sonic's aid.

"Sorry Amy, but Sonic is right. We deserve an answer. What do you mean with 'people like this'?" Shadow asked.

The squirrel man sent a warning glance at his wife and shook his head. "Nothing, my wife just thought out loud. We didn't mean any offense." he said.

However, this comment seemed to infuriate Squirrel's wife.

"Of course, as always, you are backing out, George. Could I ever count on you in my life to support me? No, you just simply ignore the things you don't like." the chipmunk woman asked then she turned again towards Shadow, Sonic, and Amy. "Working class people like you and your friend who don't know how to behave in a place like this and people like the little whore you two brought along!"

Sonic couldn't believe his ears. Did this woman really call their girlfriend and the mother of their child a whore? This remark seemed to anger Amy as well.

"Excuse me, what did you say about my boyfriends and me?" Amy asked as she wanted to know.

The chipmunk woman raised her left eyebrow. "You understood me pretty well... whore." she said.

Sonic was shocked and glanced questioningly at his older brother, they couldn't let this woman get away with this, they needed to act. Sonic could see that Shadow seemed to agree, slightly nodding. But before Shadow and Sonic could do anything, Amy laughed humorlessly and shook her head.

"I can't believe that we have to endure insults from intolerant people like you when all we wanted to do tonight was to go out and celebrate my pregnancy. And, yes, it's exactly as you assume: I don't know who the father is, it could be either one of them. So, now please don't bother us any longer!" Amy said then she turned her attention back to the menu.

Sonic was impressed. _"It seems to be true what they say about pink hedgehogs. They're not only very passionate in bed but also really have a temper."_ he thought.

Sonic sent a victorious look at that chipmunk woman, then started to peruse the menu as well, hoping that he would never be on the receiving end of Amy's anger.

...

1 hour later.

It was supposed to be an ordinary night out, with good food, some drinks well, in Amy's case without alcohol, due to her pregnancy and a lot of fun because Shadow, Sonic and Amy wanted to celebrate Amy's pregnancy with Scourge and Silver as well.

Until Shadow, Sonic, and Amy ran into this dark grey hedgehog with greyish-blue streaks and his two friends, a green hawk and a green woodpecker outside a pub. Sonic would never forget how Amy tensed, trying to hide behind Shadow and him, her fingers digging into his left arm and then, when he looked over to his cousin and Scourge, he saw a similar reaction.

On Scourge's face, pure disgust and panic was visible and considering what Silver had told them about Scourge's past, Sonic understood. This was the guy, Mephiles who did not only rape Sonic and his older brother's girlfriend but also their cousin's boyfriend. Big, bulky, brutish, macho. The description fitted perfectly.

"Please, let's go!" Amy said, whispering.

Sonic nodded as Amy was carrying his, no his and Shadow's child after all and he didn't want to endanger her or the baby. Exchanging a glance with Shadow, Sonic saw that his older brother agreed.

Then Mephiles provoked them, laughing out loud. "I'd never imagined that the 2 of the best fucks of my life hanging out together! Amelia and Scourgey? Am I right?" he asked.

This was obvious and the names were close. Mephiles couldn't mean anyone else.

Sonic could have lived with it but Silver seemed to have a different idea. "Scourge? Is that him? The asshole who hurt you and made you bleed?" he asked as he wanted to know.

Scourge simply nodded.

Amy froze. "What did he say?" she asked sharply, turning her gaze towards her older twin brother, understanding dawning on her face.

"Oh, shit." Sonic said.

Until then Amy didn't know what had happened to her old twin brother and Scourge didn't know what had happened to her.

"He did this to you too?" Scourge asked, scowling.

Amy bit her lip and nodded.

Scourge balled his hands into fists. "You disgusting bastard! How could you! How could you hurt my sweet and gentle sister? How could you even dare to touch her?" he asked.

Mephiles the Hedgehog laughed. "Dare to touch her? She was like a bitch in heat, couldn't wait to have my cock inside of her cunt!" he asked.

Sonic wrapped protectively his left arm around Amy's shoulders, looking at his older brother.

Amy had confided in Shadow and Sonic, telling what had really happened with that guy, Storm.

Shadow moved in front of Sonic and Amy to shield her from that bastard and his insults but Amy countered Mephiles's claim.

"Yet that doesn't give you permission to hurt anyone during sex, I told you to stop, pleaded with you, but you hit me and held me down. And that's rape!" Amy said.

Mephiles narrowed his eyes. "Rape? I don't need to rape anyone. People are having sex with me willingly. And I like it rough, if they don't, well, then that's their problem, not mine, Bitch!" he asked.

Sonic's eyes turned from emerald green to crimson red. Without thinking twice, Sonic stormed towards Mephiles, punching him in the face with his right fist as he knew that of course, Mephiles and his 2 bird friends would strike back, but for him it was worth it as this bastard had hurt Amy and now he was even taunting her. Sonic felt how someone, surely Mephiles's 2 friends, grabbed his arms, holding them behind his back then hit him into the stomach with his right fist. It hurt like hell, especially when Sonic heard Amy scream his name as he hated that he caused her to worry.

"You asshole! First you hurt my girlfriend then my little brother!" Shadow said, coming to Sonic's aid, attacking Mephiles as well, but was restrained by Mephiles's hawk friend.

"Your girlfriend, freak? I thought she is together with the blue rat here!" Mephiles asked then he punched Sonic again into the stomach with his right fist, before hitting Shadow into the face with his right fist, kicking him in the groin hard with his left leg.

...

6 minutes later.

Sonic couldn't say what hurt more, the punch he received or to see how his beloved big brother was beaten up.

"That's enough!" Silver said.

Their younger cousin definitely tried to help Shadow, moving in front of him to shield him from more blows, defending him.

"Ah, Silvey, let's just chat about your lover, shall we? Does the Princess still cry like virgin on her wedding night when he gets a cock shoved into his ass?" Mephiles asked.

That provocation made Silver furious as he tackled Mephiles to the ground, hitting him several times until Mephiles cried for his friends to help him and they did. Sonic felt the grip on his arms loosen, then he was free while his captor tried to get Silver off of Mephiles, supported by Mephiles's woodpecker friend who had held Shadow.

Sonic glanced into his older brother's direction. Shadow was kneeling on the ground, doubled over. Of course, Sonic wanted to help his younger cousin, but first he had to make sure that his older brother was alright then, to his relief, he saw how Scourge came to Silver's aid, while Amy stormed over to Shadow, checking on him. Sonic knew that Shadow was in good hands, so he decided to help Silver and Scourge to fight against that bastard and his friends. And together they were able to win the upper hand in the conflict.

"Come on, Mephiles, let's go! The white hedgehog is as crazy as fuck, like a berserk! They all are! I don't want to end up in hospital tonight!" the green woodpecker said, grabbing his companion, taking flight.

Mephiles however stayed. "That's not the last time we've met, assholes. And if I run into any of you the next time, I'll fucking kill you." he said then he looked seethingly at them, then bolted as well.

Sonic could see how Silver and Scourge embraced tightly, then they were fussing over each other's wounds. Sonic stumbled over to Amy and Shadow, who were both kneeling on the ground, Amy's arms wrapped around Shadow while he was leaning against her.

"Shads? You okay?" Sonic asked, placing a hand on his older brother's back, lowering himself down next to him.

Shadow tried to smile. "I'll live, Sonic, though I'm quite glad we already knocked Amy up, I don't think I will be of any use in the bedroom for the next couple of weeks." he said.

The 2 hedgehog brothers chuckled, then Sonic hugged Shadow, pressing their foreheads together.

...

6 weeks later.

Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital.

Day Time.

Sonic hated the waiting room at Amy's gynecologist.

The last time they had been here, all three of them, was when Amy had lost their first child. Sonic remembered vividly how Amy had been sitting in one of the fake leather chairs, doubled over, bleeding, being in pain, wearing her old green sweatpants, blood stains visible, and the grey hoodie with the logo of Sonic's name on it in blue letters on the front he had given her because she was shaking, her quills in a disarray, her face pale.

Sonic sat on the left side of Amy while Shadow sat on the right side of her, trying to shield her, although they hadn't been really able to shield her or their child from any harm as they had failed. Shadow and Sonic had failed protecting Amy and they had failed protecting their child. Of course it hadn't been their fault nor Amy's that something had gone wrong, the child being in trouble. But Shadow and Sonic had promised each other then and there that their first priority would always be to protect Amy and their child, no matter what.

Sonic would never forget the curious and sometimes even judging stares of the other patients because it was clear that the three of them were involved in some kind of relationship, both he and Shadow had been busy to comfort Amy, like rubbing her back with his right hand, embracing her, kissing her quills. But not all stares were just curious or plain judging as some were sympathetic, especially when people noticed Amy's blood-stained pants.

From left to right, Shadow, Amy, and Sonic had been sitting like this in the waiting room for almost over 2 hours because they had had no appointment, as the receptionist had explained, about 2 hours in which Amy had been in pain, bleeding, being afraid. About two hours in which he and his brother had felt completely helpless, useless, devastated.

Yes, that was why Sonic hated this place. But this time, they didn't have to wait that long.

The young nurse who led them into the surgery looked confused when all three of them got up. "Please only the patient and the father-to-be." she said.

Shadow and Sonic shared a glance.

"Yes, that's what we are, all three of us." Sonic said.

Shadow chuckled.

The nurse raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Sonic was thankful for that as he wasn't in the mood to defend their relationship. They had been in that position too many times by now.

On purpose, Sonic nudged his older brother, signalling that each of them should be taking one of Amy's hands into theirs. Shadow understood, doing as Sonic suggested. Amy looked questioningly at both Shadow and Sonic but remained silent and that was how they entered the surgery.

Dr. Ovi Kintobor smiled at them.

Sonic liked the guy as Dr. Kintobor was rather old and wise and didn't judge. All those weeks ago when Amy had lost the baby, Dr. Kintobor had been very understanding, taking his time to examine Amy, finding out that she had lost the child, handing Sonic some tissues as soon as he started crying, explaining to them patiently and detailed what had happened that Amy's baby, no their baby, had somehow died in her womb several days ago and now her body wanted to get rid of the dead baby as well as the placenta and the amniotic cavity, therefore she had been experiencing the cramps and started bleeding severely, her endometrium shedding, and what the usual procedure was, meaning that Amy would have to undergo some surgery in order to make sure that everything was removed from her womb, that she wouldn't get an infection which could lead to complications like infertility.

And what Sonic especially liked about Dr. Kintobor was that he had been furious with the receptionist who had let them wait that long despite the fact that Amy clearly had been an emergency.

Now, Amy was lying down so that Dr. Kintobor could do an ultrasound in order to find out how far she was into the pregnancy, though Shadow and Sonic already knew that it must be about 7 weeks, as the doctor confirmed, since they could remember the night their child must have been created, how the little one was doing.

For a moment, Sonic experienced some kind of déja-vu as he last time they had been in this situation, he had had a vision of a hedgehog boy with Shadow's red marks, Amy's eyes and lavender quills. Sonic had even already secretly named the child, despite the fact that Amy and Shadow also would have had a say in this.

This time however, Sonic couldn't envision their child for a moment he saw a hedgehog girl with purple quills and his emerald eyes then he saw a little boy with Shadow's quills, but instead of red marks he had orange marks, and Amy's jade green eyes. Maybe it is a good omen, Sonic tried to reassure himself that means everything is possible, nothing will go wrong this time.

Then Dr. Kintobor raised his eyebrows, looking surprised. "Oh, well, that's interesting. And unexpected!" he said.

Sonic could feel his heart leaving out a beat, then resuming its activity with double speed. Instinctively, Sonic grabbed Shadow's left hand with his right hand.

Amy went pale. "What's wrong?" she asked breathlessly and Sonic took her hand into his free one, expecting the worst.

Shadow's stomach clenched at Dr. Kintobor's words.

_"Oh no! Not again."_ Shadow thought, fearing the worst.

And then, when Sonic took his left with his right hand and Amy, brave, strong, gorgeous.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

Shadow thought that it was over and that they were not destined to become parents.

So, for a moment Shadow pressed Sonic's right hand with his left hand then reached out his right hand to place it on Amy's left shoulder. If there were bad news, Amy would need all the support she could get. Yes, it was also Shadow's or Sonic's child that might be in trouble, but this was something that happened inside of Amy's body. Shadow was sure he couldn't even imagine what it must be like for Amy.

But then fortunately, Dr. Kintobor explained. "Nothing's wrong, Ms. Rose. Don't worry. It's only that I can hear 2 heartbeats and see two amniotic cavities. That means you are expecting twins. Fraternal twins. Congratulations to you and... the...father?" he asked.

Shadow couldn't believe his ears. So the baby, no babies were fine. _"Babies. Twins. Oh, my god. 2 children."_ he thought he would faint.

Sonic, however, seemed to be confused. "What does that mean, 'fraternal twins'?" he asked.

It was Amy, who explained it to him. "It means non-identical twins." she said.

Sonic needed a moment to digest that then, he was enthusiasticly happy. "Awesome! 2 babies! This time, we really were successful, Shads. I am certain that one is mine, the other yours!" he said.

Shadow and Amy blushed as they never openly told Dr. Kintobor about their relationship, but now Sonic didn't leave a doubt about how they were interrelating.

"I don't think it works like that, Sonic." Shadow said as that was all that he could say.

Dr. Kintobor had other ideas. "Oh, biologically, it does. I don't want to imply anything, but if the mother has sexual intercourse with 2 different partners around the time she is ovulating, the offspring when being fraternal twins, as opposite to being identical or identical twins, can have 2 different biological fathers. Despite the fact that from a medical viewpoint they would not be considered twins then." he said.

Shadow didn't even want to contemplate what that meant as he and his younger brother and Amy had always dreamed about one child.

When Shadow and Sonic had met Amy for the first time, they had made sure to convey that they wanted to sire the child together, so that neither knew who the father really was but now, this condition offered completely different options. On the one hand, it could be that both babies were fathered by either Shadow or Sonic. On the other hand, it could be like Sonic suggested, and what Dr. Kintobor confirmed, that he and Shadow had both been lucky to impregnate Amy.

Amy, who had remained quiet so far, just commented. "My older brother and I are non-identical twins. I didn't know that this could be genetic."she said.

Dr. Kintobor shrugged. "Considering the possibility of having fraternal twins, it is genetic." he said.

Shadow was happy and he really was but he couldn't show it like Sonic.

Sonic was leaning down towards Amy, kissing her. "I love you, Ames. I love you so much!" he said.

Sonic just patted Amy's right shoulder with his left hand. "Yeah, it's great. Wow!" he said.

Amy looked up at Sonic, drawing her eyebrows together, while her lips were locked with Sonic's, but he just shook his head. Later. Sonic would explain everything to Amy, but later. Amy needed to understand that yes, Sonic was happy, but that he was also worried about the news.

As far as Sonic knew, being pregnant with twins wasn't easy for the mother and also included risks for the babies. Sonic just didn't want anything bad to happen to Amy's or their child or children again.

...

6 weeks later.

Scourge and Amy's Apartment.

Day Time.

"This apartment is definitely too small for 5 grown up animals I don't want to even imagine what it will be like when the babies are born!" Shadow said then sighed, settling on the couch next to his younger brother on the left side who was watching something stupid on TV.

The spiky cobalt blue hedgehog immediately looked at Shadow, sighing as well. "I know! Only this morning I walked in on a half naked Scourge in the bathroom. He screamed bloody murder and threw his hair straightener at me!" he said, complaining.

Shadow chuckled. "I really regret to have missed that!" he said, mumbling.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm sure you will get the chance to witness something similar in the near future. But anyway, it's annoying that we have to make a schedule for using the bathroom! Why can't Scourge and Silver stay at Scourge's place? Or why can't Scourge move out so that we, Amy, you and me have the apartment to ourselves?" he asked.

Shadow frowned. "Honestly? You know that Scourge still lives with his parents, so there's no privacy. Furthermore, Scourge owns half of this apartment, remember? So why should he move out? We are the intruders here." he questioned.

Sonic groaned. "But soon we will be a family, have babies, we need some space! You and I, we have saved some money, maybe we can convince Scourge to sell his share of the to us? Then we 2 can live here with Amy and our children" he asked.

For a moment, Shadow study his answer.

It was December and Amy was already 3 months pregnant with their twins. Sure, if Scourge moved out, the apartment would be big enough for a small family. Scourge's bedroom could be the nursery then. Yet babies tended to grow into toddlers then kids and finally teenagers, meaning that at some point in the future the apartment would become too small for their family anyway. And maybe Shadow, Sonic, and Amy would have more children than just the twins, who knew?

No, buying Scourge's share of the apartment would not be the ideal option.

"Maybe we should get our own place." Shadow said.

Sonic raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? You think that Amy, you and I should buy our own home? That would be so cool! I mean, I like this flat, especially since Amy has furnished and decorated most of it. Yet I think it would make us feel more like a real family if we three go to an estate agency, tell them what we want and need and then have a look at all our potential new homes!" he asked.

"You make it sound as if it is a game to you. Sonic, buying a house is serious business!" Shadow said, reminding his younger brother.

Sonic pouted. "You never take me seriously! Of course I know that buying a house is not a game! I know that we have to make the right decision, make sure that we are able to pay the mortgage and so on." he said.

Shadow buried his face in his hands.

Shadow was tired after a long and hard day of work and could kill for a hot shower, a cold beer, and a hearty meal.

Yet the bathroom was currently occupied by Scourge and it was Scourge's turn to make dinner, meaning that they would be eating something without meat and calories and taste.

"I'm sorry, Sonic. For me you are still the shriveled up and reddish looking baby that Uncle Charles put into my arms when I was 2 and 1/2 years old." he said.

Immediately Sonic wrapped his arms around his older brother and leaned his head on the older one's right shoulder.

"It's okay, Shads, I know that you love me!" Sonic said.

Shadow reciprocated the embrace and for a moment just enjoyed the peace and quiet with his little brother.

"When will Rose be home?" Shadow asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Late, I think. She went shopping with Blaze, then they wanted to have an early dinner at this fancy new asian restaurant before going to the movie." he said.

Shadow drew his eyebrows together. "I don't like the idea of her being on her feet the whole day. She should take better care of herself. I don't want her to have another miscarriage!" he said.

Sonic huffed. "Don't let her hear that. She doesn't like being patronized. By the way, I don't like it either that she is always so busy nowadays. But she says going out is not stressful and provides a good opportunity for her to relax." he said.

Shadow nodded slowly. That made sense. Shadow and Sonic used to go out in order to relax as well before they met Amy. Shadow vividly remembered his and his younger brother's drunken sprees, like bar brawls, blackouts and one night stands, but that was all in the past now as he and Sonic had become rather domestic.

"I just worry." Shadow said whispering, burying his nose in Sonic's cobalt blue quills, inhaling the familiar scent of licorice and cinnamon closing his eyes, feeling content.

"Eww, can you please stop that? I find it kind of disgusting to see you 2 cuddling on my couch!" Scourge asked.

"Oh yeah? Do you know what I find disgusting? Some of your green quills in the shower every morning!" Sonic asked.

Shadow bit his lower lip in order to prevent himself from laughing.

"Whatever! I just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready!" Scourge said shallowly and stormed back into the kitchen.

"Do we really have to eat the dinner he has cooked?" Sonic asked quietly.

"We don't have an excuse not to." Shadow said, disentangling himself from his younger brother.

Sonic grinned deviously. "Well, we can tell him that I'm sick and you have to take me to the doctor... Once we're out, we can go and eat somewhere else." he said.

Shadow shook his head, smiling fondly. "Good plan, yet I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to leave this apartment. So I'd rather eat Scourge's tasteless dinner than going out." he said.

Sonic sighed dramatically. "Fine! But if I die tonight of food poisoning, it's your fault, meaning that I will come back as a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your life!" he said.

Sonic got up from the couch, extending right hand to Shadow. "Well, then, old man, I'll help you!" he said.

Shadow took his brother's hand and let himself being pulled to his feet. "Just you wait, you rascal!" he said

Then both 2 hedgehog brothers laughed.

...

7 months later.

New Mobotroplis.

Day Time.

The living room looked gorgeous, as far as Shadow could tell. Shadow and Sonic's mother and Amy's mother had outdone themselves by decorating it. Grinning from ear to ear, Shadow let his camera sweep over the room, capturing everything on film, the tables, the floral arrangements, the candles.

Of course, Aleena had tried her best, considering the fact that Sonic's wedding would be the only one in this family since Shadow would never marry, Amy was the only woman he really loved and since she would become his older brother's in 30 minutes, that ship had definitely sailed, of course, reconsidering everything, Blaze had also grown into a fine young woman and if she hadn't already committed herself to Knuckles, Shadow would still have considered her a possible bride and Manik with his autism would definitely have difficulties to find a woman to marry once he had grown up.

Actually, the camera had been a present Amy and Sonic had given to him for his 29th birthday in April, after Sonic had revealed to Amy after drinking too many beers and too much schnapps on New Year's Eve that Shadow liked filming and taking pictures maybe in another life he would have become a photographer or a director, who knew, but he was stuck in this life now, she had insisted on buying him this expensive camera and of course Sonic had agreed, despite the fact that they were short on money.

With the advance of Amy's pregnancy, it had become more and more clear to them that sharing a 3 bedroom apartment with Amy's older twin brother and Shadow and Sonic's cousin wasn't the ideal option and they had started to look for affordable houses to buy since Amy didn't want to rent anything. And then, in November, Aleena had found that cute little house in the next village, perfect for them and their requirements. Amy had instantly fallen in love with it and all 3 of them had signed the contract, meaning that shortly before Christmas they, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had moved into the new house and Silver had officially moved in with Scourge, buying Amy's share of the apartment.

So, yeah, all of them had become pretty boring.

Then, Shadow felt someone tapping his right shoulder. Turning around, Shadow could see that it was his little brother.

"Shadow, I can't do this!" Sonic said, looking pale and sweating.

Shadow frowned, turning the camera off. "What do you mean, Sonic?" he asked.

Sonic swallowed hard, trying to loosen the black bow tie Shadow had just secured around his neck a couple of minutes ago. So, Shadow played his "big brother card" by slapping Sonic's hands away.

Sonic cleared his throat. "I mean the wedding, it's too big! What if I screw up?" he asked.

Shadow wasn't sure what his younger brother meant. "Screw up?" he asked.

Sonic nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! What if I forget my marriage vows? Or what if the ring doesn't fit? And afterward, at the reception, what if I get too drunk to... perform later?" he asked.

Shadow couldn't help but chuckle, wrapping his arm around his younger brother's shoulders. "Oh, Sonic, I think being drunk has never before affected your ability to... perform. Besides, Rose already knows about your prowess in the bedroom, so this wouldn't be a problem. And I'm standing right next to you during the ceremony, so if you forget your vows, I'll be there to help you out. And the ring must fit if she didn't put on 10 pounds in the last 2 weeks." he said, trying to reassure his younger brother.

Sonic sighed, then he embraced Shadow tightly. "I love you so much, Shadow, I wouldn't be anything without you." he said, although the wedding hadn't already started.

Shadow had to wipe away Sonic's tears with his left hand.

...

Critically, Amy regarded her reflection in the mirror as she was wearing a sleeveless, strapless wedding dress in off-white Aleena had advised her to choose this color since it complimented her complexion and after having given birth, bright white would have been unfitting because this color was supposed to symbolize virginity, made from wild silk, and a veil of the same color made from Brussels lace.

Maybe Amy should have waited with the wedding until she was in shape again, not only 8 weeks after giving birth to twins and while she was still breastfeeding.

"You look gorgeous, Ames, stop making that face, it's your wedding, not your funeral." Shade said, stepping up to her and placing her hands on Amy's bare shoulders.

"I'm fat!" Amy said complaining, turning towards her childhood friend.

Although Shade and Amy didn't see each other that often any more, they still shared a special bond.

"You are not fat, you've just got some womanly curves! I'm sure your husband-to-be will appreciate it mine certainly does." Tikal said from her place on one of the chairs.

Tikal was 7 months pregnant with her first child and the pregnancy was taking its toll on her body.

Amy drew her eyebrows together. "Do you say that your husband is checking me out?" she asked.

Tikal chuckled. "Well, I don't think Yanar is checking you out, he better not if he wants to keep certain body parts but he mentioned to me that you now look more like a woman and not like a girl." she said while taking a sip from her cup with herbal tea with her right hand.

It was a special blend for pregnant woman, one of Diana's recipes. After her good experience with the midwife, Amy had recommended her to her friend Tikal.

The door opened and Tikal, Shade, and Amy all turned around, it was Blaze.

Blaze blushed because all attention was focused on her. "Have you seen Sticks?" she asked, looking only at Amy.

"No, sorry." Amy said, picking at her quills with both hands which was arranged in some kind of fancy half-up.

Aleena had found a picture of this hairstyle in one of her magazines about the rich and the famous and claimed that it would look wonderful on Amy, so Scourge's mother, Nancy, had styled Amy's quills like that only a couple of hours ago, before Shade had applied Amy's make-up.

Blaze made a frustrated sound. "That girl will be the death of me! She is supposed to change into her flower girl dress! The ceremony is about to start in thirty minutes!" she said tearing her fur, almost ruining her perfectly arranged lavender fur.

Shade rolled her eyes, walked over to the table on which a bottle of rosé champagne was resting, filled one of the champagne flutes and handed it to the younger animal woman.

"You need to relax, girl." Tikal said then after briefly glancing at Amy she filled another champagne flute and walked back to her.

"Here, drink this, you are as tense as your little friend over there," she whispered. Amy frowned. She knew that Shade didn't really like Blaze and that Tikal barely tolerated her, but why she had no idea. Blaze had been so nice and welcoming when Amy had met her for the first time, so that they had instantly become friends.

"Oh, Shade, I can't, I'm breastfeeding." Amy said, rejecting the champagne.

Shade rolled her eyes again. "You told me that you were pumping milk all morning so that your brother-in-law can feed the babies with your precious milk instead of using formula when baby-sitting them while you will be having lots and lots of sex with your new husband on your wedding night!" she said.

Amy turned bright red. "Shade! I've never said such a thing!" she said.

Shade, however, turned towards Tikal and they laughed.

"I know, you would never say anything like that, yet what do you think a wedding night is about, hey?" Shade asked.

Amy shook her head. "No, I can't drink this now, I still have to pump some more milk and I still want to breastfeed Eclipse and Coral as long as possible today. Later, okay? I will drink with you later." she asked.

Shade regarded her for a moment then she smiled and took a sip of champagne with her right hand.

When Amy turned towards Blaze because she wanted to know if everything was all right with the boys, especially with little Manik who would be their ring bearer Amy still remembered the argument Chuck and Aleena had after Chuck had informed her about their pediatrician's suspicion that Manik might be autistic, Aleena had flat out refused to do any more tests while Chuck wanted to know what was going on with his son, she could see that Blaze was re-filling her champagne flute.

"Blaze? Are the boys ready?" Amy asked.

Blaze took a large sip of champagne with her left hand. "Oh yeah, Shadow and Sonic are bickering like an old-married couple because Sonic doesn't like wearing a bow-tie and Shadow insists that he needs to wear one for his wedding, Scourge and Scourge are getting drunk with the booze Vector has originally provided for the bridegroom and his best man, and Chuck and Charles are instructing Manik that he has to bring the rings to you and Sonic when Antoine says the key word." she said then emptied the glass of champagne before re-filling it again.

Amy sighed. Everything seemed to be as normal as it could be with Amy's family and friends.

...

Sonic was nervous as he was finally tying the knot and with the woman of his dreams, nonetheless. Yet Sonic wished that Shadow hadn't insisted on him wearing that damned bow-tie, it was really strangling him. But if Shadow insisted...

Sonic was still grateful that his big brother didn't mind him marrying Amy, although they had promised to love and cherish each other equally till the end of all days, no matter what, only a couple of months ago after Amy had lost their first child and she had decided to have her wrists tattooed with Shadow's and Sonic's names to show her commitment to them.

And Amy had remained serious about that promise. While Amy and Sonic had been deciding on wedding bands, she had made it clear that she also wanted to have one commissioned for Shadow as well, with the same engraving and made from the same material to show him that he was still an integral part of their relationship. Of course, Sonic had complied. For Sonic, Shadow was his other half, he couldn't imagine a life without his big brother. Therefore, proposing to Amy had been a bold move on Sonic's part.

"Stop fidgeting." Shadow said whispering.

Sonic obeyed.

A part of Sonic regretted that he and Shadow had condoned that Scourge and Scourge had drunk almost all of the good Irish Whiskey that Vector had provided for the bridegroom and his best man. Yet Knuckles had talked Sonic and Shadow out of really drinking it since it wouldn't be good if the bridegroom babbled his marriage vows without really meaning them. Maybe if Sonic had had more than just a few sips from Scourge's glass he wouldn't be that nervous now.

And then the music started:

" I heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?"

The whole congregation stood up and looked expectantly towards the entry of the small chapel where they had all gathered.

And then a 12 year old Sticks with freshly skinned knees and a messy ponytail, Sonic knew why she had been playing soccer only 10 minutes ago with some of the boys whose parents had also been invited to this wedding and who were some distant relatives of Chuck made her entrance, wearing one of those flowery and lacy dresses she actually despised, throwing freshly plucked flowers to her left and her right while sporting a smile that rather looked like a grimace.

"The poor thing! I don't know why Mom insisted on her being the flower girl." Sonic said but Shadow just shushed him.

And then, Blaze, the Maid of Honor, followed, wearing a sleeveless and strapless, knee-long, lavender colored nightmare made from taffeta and tulle, smiling as if this was her wedding and not her friend's.

When Blaze spotted Knuckles in the crowd she enthusiastically waved at him with her right hand and Sonic couldn't help but feel nauseous due to his cousin's infatuated expression and maybe he even made some gagging noises.

"Sonic, get your act together, will you!" Shadow said, hissing.

Sonic tried to behave and look all responsible and serious in spite of everything else.

And then Amy made her entrance, looking more beautiful than ever and Sonic was sure that he certainly looked as infatuated with as Knuckles had only a few moments ago:

"Well your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you"

Amy really looked gorgeous, Sonic could hear his older brother gasp next to him and couldn't help but think.

_ "Mine!"_ Sonic thought.

Yet this wasn't right, Amy still belonged as much to Shadow as she did to Sonic, no matter what. Amy had made this decision when agreeing to marry him and Sonic was cool with it. They only needed to tell Shadow again who still seemed to believe that he had been excluded from their relationship, although Sonic and Amy had told him otherwise on several occasions.

...

Shadow couldn't help but feel proud of his little brother though he had to chastise him several times while waiting for the bride's arrival. Sonic looked so handsome and all grown up in his black 3 piece suit, the light blue button-down shirt and the black bow-tie their mother had made herself.

It was the same bow-tie Charles wore, yet their uncle was wearing a 3 piece suit in dark-blue as well and a white button-down shirt, while Shadow had decided to honor their late uncle Luke, who had died 15 years ago, by wearing his old, dark grey 3 piece suit, the same light-blue button-down shirt like Sonic to show their brotherly bond, and a brown bow-tie which had belonged to his father, as Aleena had reluctantly revealed, and which matched his new patent brown leather shoes he would most certainly never wear again.

Maybe it had been a mistake to go shopping with Scourge and Knuckles who had seemed to be over-excited about dressing up and forcing their friends to get dressed-up as well.

Yet, when looking at the ladies, Shadow felt relieved. Wearing suits and uncomfortable shoes wasn't as bad as wearing those nightmarish dresses. Whereas Aleena and Amy's mother wore classic sheath dresses his mother in dark-blue and Amy's mother in dark-green, Amy's friend Shade wore a lemon-colored, sleeveless, long evening dress made from wild silk and lace, with a very low-cut V-neck and a flared skirt, her friend Tikal wore a knee-long, apricot-colored sleeveless and strapless, form-fitting cocktail dress made from taffeta, accentuating her enormous baby bump honestly, her stomach was almost as big as Amy's had been, though she had been expecting twins.

Yet, those dresses were nothing in comparison to Sticks's and Blaze's.

Whereas Sticks had been forced to wear a yellow dress with a floral pattern in lavender and off-white to compliment Amy's and Blaze's dresses, lace applications and puffy sleeves Shadow remembered his mother uttering her wishes and Amy's mother providing the design while both women were sipping Baileys, Blaze wore a monstrous dress which rather distorted her slim, petite figure instead of accentuating it unlike Shade's and Tikal's dresses, so that her décolleté appeared to be too bony, her breasts too flat, her waist-hip ratio almost non-existent. Maybe Aleena had chosen this dress on purpose so that Blaze who was about 2 years younger than Amy wouldn't steal the bride's show.

However, Shadow couldn't complain about Amy's appearance; she looked gorgeous, as always, taking his breath away. Yet Amy wouldn't be Shadow's, but his younger brother's, though Sonic and Amy had assured him that nothing would change their unique relationship.

Shadow just couldn't believe it. For Shadow, marriage vows were sacred, and after Sonic would pledge himself to Amy and she would pledge herself to him, he couldn't imagine that they would still consider him an equal partner in this relationship.

But that wasn't a problem. Shadow loved his little brother more than life, so as long as Sonic was happy, he would be happy too.

And then the real ceremony started.

Amy was standing next to Sonic, beaming at him and beaming at Shadow, who was shyly smiling back, while Zax the Echidna, their pastor who had already baptized Shadow, Sonic and Manik when they had been little babies), was jabbering about unconditional love and devotion, that the love between a husband and his wife was sacred and that 'what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder'.

Then it was time for the ring bearer to bring forth the rings and contrary to Amy's engagement ring, Shadow had had no say in the choice, which Manik accomplished without any incident, making Chuck and Charles proud.

The rings were beautiful, made from damask steel and titanium, displaying different shades of black, coal, grey and silver in a wave-like pattern, something extraordinary, as was fitting for his little brother and their, his bride.

Sonic's fears had been unfounded, though. Sonic had no problems remembering his marriage vows which he had written together with Shadow after getting drunk on stout ale.

"I pledge myself to you, and I promise to be your best friend, your lover, and your companion. I promise to help you raise our children. And to overcome all obstacles together with you. There will be no one else in this world who loves and cherishes you more than I do. Whatever lies ahead of us, we will face it together. This is my sacred vow to you, my comrade, my teacher, and my accomplice. I will love and respect you now and forever." Sonic said.

As was arranged, Sonic put the custom-made ring on Amy's left ring finger after saying those words.

Then it was Amy's turn to say her vows before placing her ring on Sonic's left finger.

"I take you to be my partner for life. I promise to live in truth with you and to give you my hand and my heart. They should be a sanctuary of warmth and peace for you. From now on, we will walk hand in hand together, joining our love and our lives, breathing, laughing, hurting together, forever." Amy said.

Shadow was touched, really touched and he wasn't the only one. Chuck, who had been filming the ceremony in his stead since it wouldn't have been fitting for the best man to have a camera attached to him during his little brother's wedding was sobbing shamelessly and Shadow hoped that the pictures weren't blurred since he really wanted to show them to Eclipse and Coral one day.

"I declare you to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Zax said.

Shadow was sure that he had never before, well except for the twins' birth, seen his baby brother that happy before.

...

1 hour later.

The wedding reception went really well.

After the ceremony had ended, there seemed to be an endless queue of well-wishers who wanted to congratulate the newly-weds.

"Now you are one of us, Ames, welcome to the club." Shade said while embracing her friend tightly, kissing her on the right cheek.

"Yeah, we definitely need to meet more often from now on, to complain about our husbands, like real wives do." Tikal said jokingly, embracing and kissing Amy as well.

Then the 2 animal women turned towards Sonic, embracing him, whispering something into his ears which made him blush before stepping aside.

Amy drew her eyebrows together. "What did they say to you?" she asked, wanting to know.

Sonic chuckled awkwardly. "I'd rather not repeat it not as long as my mother and my babies are in the same room." he said.

Amy sighed. Of course, Shade and Tikal had to make lewd comments. Maybe it was Shade and Tikal's revenge because Amy didn't want to have a hen night, at least not a classical one with strippers and lots of booze, as Shade and Tikal had suggested. It would have been inappropriate, not only because Amy was taking care of her babies but also because her mother and her future mother-in-law as well as a 12 year old Sticks would be there.

Shade, however, had just rolled her eyes when hearing Amy's objections. "Oh, come on, your mother has a younger lover from the Caribbean, your future mother-in-law has 3 sons with 3 different men and little Sticks doesn't have to attend the party maybe she could make herself useful and take care of your babies while we are having fun!" she said, trying to persuade Amy who had remained adamant.

And so, they had all just gathered in Amy's new home, talking, listening to music, drinking the wine Amy's mother had provided actually everyone over eighteen who wasn't pregnant or breastfeeding drank it or Aleena's homemade lemonade like Sticks, Amy and Tikal, trying to be civil with each other. Actually, Amy had been glad when the night was over.

After all the guests had expressed their congratulations, it was time for taking some photographs. Luckily, Miguel, the new partner of Amy's mother, was a professional photographer and would take over the task.

So, while the rest of the wedding guests were sipping champagne or orange juice or a mixture of both and eatinging exquisite canapés, the newlyweds, their parents and guardians, their siblings and babies, as well as the Maid of Honor and the flower girl were asked to come outside.

At first, Miguel just took several pictures of Sonic and Amy and of Sonic and Amy with their babies then of Sonic and Amy with their respective parents and guardians, Amy's mother and father as well as Aleena and Charles, afterwards pictures of Sonic and Amy with their best man, Maid of Honor, flower girl and ring bearer, and finally pictures of the bride with her family and of the bridegroom with his family including Chuck before taking some group pictures.

Then Sonic approached Miguel. "Can you please just take a few pictures of Shadow, Amy and me as well as the 3 of us with our babies?" he asked.

If the attractive light green hedgehog man in his mid 30s with his coffee-colored skin found this request weird, he didn't show. "Yeah, sure." he said with his Jamaican accent.

For a moment, Amy considered to give Shadow his ring then and there, so that all 3 of them could wear their wedding bands on the photos, but then she decided against it. It would only raise questions from their guests and she wasn't in the mood to defend their unique relationship.

Anyway, Sonic and Amy had agreed to create a special moment during their honeymoon when they would give Shadow his ring and she didn't want to spoil the surprise they had planned for him.

...

Night Time.

After taking pictures and before eating cake, Amy had to breastfeed Eclipse and Coral.

Therefore, Amy left the reception room and went over to the side room where she and the girls had gotten ready for the wedding. Blaze went with Amy, carrying the bag in which Amy kept all the supplies for their little ones.

Sonic couldn't help but let his eyes follow Blaze and Amy longingly. Sonic would have loved to go with his bride, yet she didn't ask him to come with her. Maybe Amy needed some alone time with her babies and a female friend.

"Stop undressing her with your eyes, you can show her tonight how much you appreciate her and you better make her happy." Shade said next to Sonic.

And Shade was placing a glass with a greenish looking liquid in front of Sonic with his right hand.

Sonic raised an eyebrow at Shade, ignoring her comment on purpose. "What is that?" he asked nodding towards the glass.

Shade smiled sweetly at Sonic. "Gin and Pep. My favorite drink. Try it!" she said, raising her own glass with her left hand.

Carefully, Sonic sniffed the contents. It smelled like peppermint, sugar and alcohol. Shrugging, Sonic clinked glasses with Shade with his right hand, then he took a small sip. It tasted well, interesting.

Putting the glass back on the table, Sonic studied his bride's childhood friend for a moment. Sonic didn't know why, but he somehow had the feeling that Shade didn't really like him, as if he wasn't good enough for Amy. Well, maybe Shade was right, maybe Sonic wasn't, yet he loved Amy and that was the only thing that mattered, at least to him.

"You don't like it?" Shade asked, taking a sip from her own drink.

Sonic tried to loosen his bow-tie again as he knew that Shadow had insisted on him wearing it, yet, after the ceremony was over, after the pictures had been taken, maybe he was allowed to take it off? Sonic would ask Shadow as soon as possible.

"Well, it's definitely not the kind of drink I would prefer." Sonic said.

Shade laughed and Sonic could tell that she was already tipsy.

"I know! Amy told me that you prefer beer and whiskey." Shade said.

"And mead and corn schnapps." Sonic said.

Sonic started to feel uncomfortable. Where was Shadow? He needed his big brother!

Shade took another sip from her drink then she regarded him for a moment. "Are you going to adopt the babies then?" she asked

Sonic looked at Shade incredulously. "Why would I do that?" he asked.

Shade shrugged. "They are yours, aren't they? Ames doesn't sleep around. She's so uptight about sex! Yet the babies were born before your marriage to Amy and she confessed to me that according to their birth certificate, they are officially of unknown paternity, at least that's what she told me..." she said, taking another sip.

Sonic was confused. "But we have a contract! We signed it at Christmas Eve almost two years ago. The contract states that Shadow and I will share custody equally with Amy. Eclipse and Coral are as much mine and Shadow's as they are Amy's!" he said.

Sonic might have raised his voice since some of the other guests were looking towards him.

Shade seemed to observe Sonic's answer, swirling the contents of her glass reflectively. "I didn't know that. And I don't really understand: She barely knew you then - I remember her telling me that she just met you last december, and she definitely wasn't pregnant then, she couldn't have been, the twins are only eight weeks old, so what's this rubbish with the contract? And what has your brother to do with that?" she asked.

Sonic was shocked. _"Could it be that Amy hadn't told her friends about her wish for a child? That she hadn't let Shadow and I in on her decision to become a co-parent? That she had kept her polygamy relationship with me and Shadow a secret? And what was worse: Hadn't she told them about her miscarriage?"_ he thought.

...

10 minutes later.

As soon as Shadow saw Amy and Blaze leaving the reception room, he grabbed his camera with his right hand and followed them. Amy had been carrying both of their babies and Blaze their 'baby-bag', meaning that Amy was definitely going to nurse the babies or change their diapers or both. Shadow wanted to capture that on film.

So, Shadow politely knocked on the closed door to the side room with his left hand, waiting for one of the girls'.

"Who's there?" Blaze asked.

Shadow told Blaze and Amy that it was him then he waited before they allowed him to enter.

Amy was sitting in a chair, holding both babies who were crying and squirming, while Blaze was opening the laces of Amy's bodice.

"Wow, you two look hot together!" Shadow said, focusing his camera on Blaze's hands and Amy's décolleté.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah? Just wait until Blaze takes the diapers out of my bag and decorates me with them, just in case Eclipse and Coral decide to use it after feeding." she asked.

Blaze smirked while exposing Amy's swollen breasts with their enlarged nipples with her right hand.

Shadow could feel his manhood stir, immediately rotating the camera around the room, focusing on the baby bag and Blaze, who was rummaging through it, clearing his throat. When Shadow heard suckling noises, he thought that it was safe to focus the camera on Amy and the babies again.

And yes since their little ones were drinking greedily, a huge part of Amy's wonderful and large breasts were covered by them, especially her gigantic and dark pink mouth-watering nipples.

"Make sure to film her babies, not her breasts, Shadow." Blaze said, laughing and placed the diapers on Amy's shoulders with both hands.

Shadow cleared his throat again. "Well, it's difficult to separate one from the other, isn't it? I mean the babies are quite attached to her breasts." he asked.

Amy rolled her eyes.

"One more comment about my breasts and I will tell Blaze to throw you out of the room, Shadow." Amy said.

Shadow chuckled, sitting down on a free chair. "No, that won't be necessary, I will try to behave." he asked.

"Did you hear that Ames? He said he 'will try'." Blaze asked.

"Yeah, I did. So, there is still the possibility that he won't. So you know what you will have to do in that case Blaze, don't you." Amy said.

Shadow, Blaze, and Amy all laughed.

For a while they sat there in silence, the babies feeding, Amy humming a lullaby, Blaze holding little Coral's foot in her hand, smiling fondly at the baby, while Shadow held one of Eclipse's tiny hands, filming the whole scene.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Amy groaned.

"Who's there?" Blaze asked.

"It's me. Can I come in? I need to talk to my bride!" Sonic asked.

Amy sighed. "Yes, come on in Sonic!" she said.

Carefully, Sonic opened the door a little with his right hand and slipped into the room. When Sonic noticed Shadow, he seemed to be surprised. "Didn't know you were here." he said.

Shadow shrugged. "I saw Amy and Blaze leaving and decided to follow them because I wanted to film Amy nursing and changing the babies." he said.

Sonic nodded. "Oh yeah, the babies... I've just had a strange conversation with your friend Shade, Amy." he said.

Amy tensed. "Oh yeah?" she asked.

Sonic nodded. "Oh yeah. She told me funny things, like what's on the babies' birth certificates..." he said, studying Amy.

Now, Shadow was confused, having no clue where this conversation was leading.

"What did she say?" Amy asked, looking her husband straight in the eyes.

Sonic tried to loosen his bow-tie again with both hands and Shadow had to resist the urge to slap his hands away.

"She said they were of unknown paternity. Is that true?" Sonic asked.

Amy shook her head, looking down at her babies. "No, of course not. Your names are on their certificates like we agreed, your name Sonic is on Coral's and Shadow's name is on Eclipse's." she said.

"Oh." Sonic said then he sat down next to Blaze on the right side.

"So Shade got that wrong?" Sonic asked.

Amy shook her head, looking at her husband again. "No, I did tell her that white lie about the unknown paternity. I had no other choice!" she said, defending herself.

"Why?" Sonic asked, wanting to know.

Coral had apparently finished drinking and let go of Amy's left raw looking nipple, leaving a mixture of saliva and breast milk behind. Blaze immediately assisted Amy by wiping the fluids away, covering her breast with one of the diapers and arranging the baby in an upright position so that Amy could burp Coral.

"Why?" Sonic asked, repeating his question when everything was done.

Amy sighed. "She doesn't know about me and Shadow. I've only told her about you, Sonic. She wouldn't understand. Yet claiming that the babies were only yours didn't seem right to me, Sonic. So I came up with the twins' unknown paternity." she said, confessing.

Sonic buried his face in his hands, taking a few deep breaths then he looked Amy directly in the eyes. "Are you ashamed of our relationship? Of what Shadow and you and I have?" he asked.

Shadow felt it was time to interfere. And to turn the camera off.

* * *

End of Chapter 6.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Please Review.

Flames.

* * *

Most people in their usual outfits.

...

5 Months Later.

Forest Hill.

Day Time.

"So this is it: Our cabin in the woods!" Shadow said while holding a camera in his hands, zooming in on the log lodge in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a dense forest where they would spend the next 2 weeks.

Then Shadow zoomed in on the pretty redhead, just getting out of Amy's car.

"And this is her: Rose, my lovely sister-in-law. She is a beauty, isn't she?" Shadow questioned.

The pink hedgehog, wearing a temporary outfit, a light blue jeans shorts with dark pink lace applications, a dark pink tank top which had the word 'red rose' printed in white letters across her enlarged breasts, laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Careful, brother, she is officially mine now!" Sonic said.

Shadow immediately turned the camera towards his younger brother, who had just opened the door on the passenger side of Amy's car, trying to scowl, but failing miserably. Sonic had always been too cheerful to look sinister.

At this moment, another car arrived and while Shadow was filming how the driver blocked their car in the driveway, Sonic finally got out of Amy's car and opened the door to the backseat, whereas his wife inspected their surroundings.

The driver of the other car was Amy's brother, Scourge, a gorgeous looking, tall young man with short spiky green quills, sparkling blue eyes, and an impish smile which accentuated his muzzle. As soon as Scourge got out of the car, he started posing for Shadow's camera, laughing as if he had the time of his life.

"Yeah, give it to me, baby." Shadow said joking, which earned him a growl from his younger cousin, Silver, who happened to be Scourge's boyfriend and had just gotten out of the passenger seat of the blond's car. Shadow laughed, now filming his cousin's scowl in a close up.

"Peace, Silver." Shadow said.

The white quilled young male hedgehog was raising his right middle finger at him.

Shadow gasped in mock shock. "This is a family home video! Now I have to cut out your vulgar gesture." he said.

Silver ignored Shadow as he walked up to his boyfriend, pulling his face down with both hands for a heated kiss. Shadow averted the camera, filming the grass instead.

"Disgusting!" Shadow said.

"Well, you didn't have problems to film Amy and me kissing at our wedding yesterday." Sonic said, walking past his older brother.

Sonic carefully balancing 2 infant carriers with both hands, one in apple red and the other in sapphire blue because Amy had objected Sonic's suggestion to buy a berry pink one for Coral and a river blue one for Eclipse with their peacefully sleeping 8 week old babies.

This time, it was Shadow who rolled his eyes. "Well, none of your kisses were as passionate as this one. Honestly, it looks as if they will be screwing each other any minute now!" he said.

There was the sound of another car arriving, car doors opening and carefree laughter. Shadow zoomed in on the blue minivan. The laughter belonged to their other cousin, Knuckles and his fiancé, Blaze.

"Well, it would be good if they got a room then and if I'm correct, there is a whole cabin in front of us! Why don't we go inside, take a look at it and decide who gets which bedroom?" Sonic asked.

"Sounds great." Blaze said, carrying a 6 pack of beer with both hands.

Everyone had purchased at a local petrol station on their way here.

"Fair enough." Shadow said.

"Amy and I have dibs on the honeymoon suite!" Sonic said.

The others groaned.

"Well, if the honeymoon suite is a secluded bedroom at the other end of the cabin then, yeah, you 2 can totally have it. We definitely don't need to hear what you are doing when you are alone." Scourge said.

"Or to hear Coral and Eclipse crying at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night because they need to be fed or their diapers to be changed." Silver said.

Shadow had to admit that he had a point and as much as he loved the little boy and girl hoglets, caring for such young children was really exhausting. Shadow knew this from experience especially since he as his younger brother's best man and maybe father to at least 1 of the little ones. Shadow was convinced that the dark red quilled, crimson red Eclipse was his had volunteered to babysit them the previous night all by himself so that Sonic and Amy could enjoy their wedding night which meant that they were calling him every 2 hours in order to make sure that everything was alright, which was actually more exhausting than caring for the children, especially when he was woken up from deep sleep because his phone was ringing.

Shadow turned the camera towards the cabin again. "Alright, let's go in then. I'm ready. Who has got the keys?" he asked.

"That would be me." Amy said, pulling a key ring out of her right jean pocket with her right hand.

Shadow briefly wondered how it had fit into it since the shorts were rather tight, highlighting Amy's heavenly backside and walking over to them at a more leisurely pace.

Amy was barefooted, carrying her strappy silver sandals in her left hand.

Amy knew why it was because she loved to feel the grass and earth beneath the soles of her feet.

When Amy passed her younger husband, Sonic playfully slapped her bottom with his right hand.

Shadow couldn't blame Sonic as he also had problems to keep his hands off Amy at the moment. Amy's body had changed due to the pregnancy and while she only claimed that now she was fat, Shadow and Sonic thought that she was still slim, however the few extra pounds had endowed her with very nice curves, like broader hips and larger breasts, so that she now had the figure of a woman and not that of a girl, like before.

Amy, however, scowled at Sonic while spinning around.

"Do that again and I will have to punish you!" Amy said, looking dead serious.

Sonic, on the other hand, seemed to be still in a playful mood. "I'm looking forward to it." he said in a low voice.

It was ridiculous considering the fact that Sonic was standing between 2 infant carriers while trying to sound seductive.

Amy only rolled her eyes at Sonic then she climbed the front steps to their cabin crossing the front porch, taking a deep breath and putting the key in the key hole with her right hand. Shadow zoomed in on Amy and if the camera was focused on her perfect bum for a second, it was totally intentional.

Then Amy turned the key and pushed the door open. Shadow held his breath as he didn't know why, but he felt overexcited. The cabin's inside was too dark to see anything, though. The landlord must have closed all the window shutters to prevent the heat from invading the cabin. Automatically, Shadow also climbed the steps in order to have a better view.

"It's awesome." Amy said whispering, stepping inside.

Shadow, right behind Amy, just nodded. The front door led to a rather spacious living room with a 3 seater and a 2 seater couch in light brown, 2 crimson armchairs, a dark-brown wooden coffee table and a wooden side table of the same color, a huge, light brown dining room table made from solid wood with 8 matching chairs, several light brown wooden cupboards and dark brown wooden shelves along the walls. 2 white doors suggested that there were more rooms they had yet to explore. Amy headed for the doors then she opened the left one with her right hand. It led to a small corridor with 2 more white doors and a wooden staircase. For some reason, the corridor and stairs gave Shadow the chills.

"I assume that the staircase leads to the upper bedrooms and bathroom whereas these 2 doors here lead to the downstairs bedroom and bathroom." Amy said, again opening the left door.

According to the landlord's homepage, the cabin was made for 6 to eight people, with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room as well as a front porch and a patio.

There really was a large bedroom behind that door, complete with an enormous 4 poster bed, a huge wardrobe, a sideboard, a vanity unit all made from mahogany, an antique looking white baby crib and a matching rocking chairs.

"Well, I guess that is your honeymoon suite, then." Shadow said.

It was secluded enough and it already contained a crib.

Amy smiled up at Shadow. "If you insist." she said. "And the bed is big enough for 3."

Shadow coughed as his throat suddenly felt really dry.

_"Did she actually imply him sharing Sonic's and her bed? Even after the wedding?"_ Shadow thought.

Then Amy turned towards the other door. Behind it was a large bathroom with a toilet, a basin, a bathtub. The wall tiles were candy pink whereas the floor tiles were lemon-colored, the toilet, basin and bathtub as well as the shelves and the medicine cabinet were white.

Amy turned towards Shadow. "Shall we go upstairs now? Or shall we wait for the others? Honestly, I don't know why they haven't followed us by now!" she asked.

Shadow snorted. "Maybe they are afraid that there is an ax murderer hiding in here somewhere and they want to wait until we make it out alive." he said.

Amy smiled up at Shadow. "Well, in that case I refuse to go any further without backup. I have 2 little babies, after all, who would sorely miss their mother especially since I'm still breast-feeding them." she said.

Involuntarily, Shadow focused his camera on Amy's rather voluptuous cleavage then. Shadow wasn't an expert, but during her pregnancy Amy's breasts had more than doubled in size.

Amy cleared her throat and Shadow focused the camera on her pretty face again.

"Sorry, I just got distracted by your ample breasts." Shadow said.

Amy laughed her melodic laugh. "Typically. But make sure to save some of your appreciation for later, Sonic and I missed you dearly last night, he might be my husband now but you are still my lover..." she said winking at Shadow while showing the inside of her right wrist.

Yes, Shadow's name still adorned Amy's creamy skin and her name on his, reminding them of their promise all those months ago then she headed back through the door that led to the living room.

Shadow could feel his blood rushing southwards. The last time Shadow had sex with Amy was 4 months ago. Amy wasn't allowed to have sexual intercourse during the last months of her pregnancy due to the risk of premature labor yet, in the end, the twins were born too early after all and during the postpartum period she still wasn't allowed and definitely not in the mood to have sex for at least 6 to 8 weeks due to the risk of infection and injury her cervix had to close, the lochia to stop and her perineal suture to heal.

That was the reason why Sonic and Amy had set the wedding date for June. After Sonic's at least for Amy unexpected proposal in the delivery room, directly after she had given birth to Eclipse and Coral, they wanted to wait long enough so that they could have a real wedding night, but not too long.

_..._

_Flashback._

_4 months ago._

_Shadow wasn't jealous that Sonic and Amy now officially belonged together. Sonic had talked to Shadow before asking Amy, explaining how strongly he felt for her, that he wanted to make their relationship official, but that it wouldn't mean he wanted to exclude his older brother from the relationship._

_"If it were possible, I would ask her to marry not only me but also you but it isn't. And I want to call her my wife, not my girlfriend or lover. But if it bothers you, Shads, I will not ask her to marry me!" Sonic said._

_Shadow had pulled his younger brother close, pressing their foreheads together._

_"It doesn't bother me. Yet I love her as well. Maybe in a different way than you do, but still as strong. I will step back whenever necessary, but I want you to remember that I am still part of this relationship!" Shadow said to his little brother. _

_Sonic had smiled at Shadow and then he had pressed a quick kiss to Shadow's lips, something he hadn't done since he had been 12 years old and which had earned them a scolding from their mother then when she had been witness to it 'Sonic! It isn't proper! You are no little boy anymore and you can't kiss your almost grown-up brother on the mouth! And Shadow, don't encourage him!', so Sonic hadn't kissed him again ever since though it didn't stop him from climbing into Shadow's bed from time to time to cuddle up with him, but it was all totally innocent, nothing sexual had ever transpired between them)._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

"Are you coming or what?" Amy asked from the living room.

"Coming!" Shadow said.

Shadow took a last shot of the bathroom and the bedroom, the gloomy corridor and stairs, then he followed his sister-in-law. When Shadow re-entered the living room, he could see that the others were also already inspecting the cabin, standing close together as if being afraid of someone or something attacking them when leaving the group. Relieved Shadow noticed that either Sonic or one of the others had placed the baby carriers with their precious cargo on the 2 seater couch.

Shadow didn't know why but suddenly he thought that maybe they should have taken their mother's and Scourge and Amy's mother's offer to look after the babies while Sonic and Amy were enjoying their honeymoon together with some friends and family members, but who cared about that detail. Somehow this idyllic cabin in the woods left Shadow with a bad feeling about what might or could happen.

Right on cue, Eclipse started crying.

Before Shadow could put his camera down and go over to his son but Sonic beat him to it.

"Shh, little prince, Daddy's here, no need to cry!" Sonic said cooing, lifting Eclipse out of his carrier, holding him gently in his arms.

For a moment, Shadow was jealous.

_"Eclipse is mine!"_ Shadow thought possessively then he snapped out of it. _"Where did that thought come from? Never before had I problems with sharing. Why now?"_

When Shadow caught a glimpse at Sonic's happy face his sparkling eyes, he felt really bad. His little brother really seemed to thrive since Shadow was a father and uncle. Even though Eclipse didn't seem to calm down, despite Sonic's best efforts. In an instant, Amy was at Sonic's side.

"I think he is hungry. It's past lunchtime, after all." Amy said then took Eclipse into her arms. "I'll go over to the bedroom to feed him, there is a rocking chairs and I don't want to bother anyone because I'm breast-feeding, so..."

Amy just shrugged, heading for the doors that were leading to the corridor.

Shadow had a bad feeling, leaving Amy alone.

"Wait! I'm coming with you." Shadow said.

Amy looked at Shadow raising an eyebrow, while the others just looked surprised like Sonic, Blaze, Knuckles, and Scourge or snorted like Silver.

Shadow felt that he had to explain his motivation. "Well, Rose and I joked about an ax-murderer hiding somewhere in this house, I just want to keep her and my... our son save!" he said.

Sonic laughed. "So how do you want to defend them? Hit the attacker over the head with your camera?" he asked.

Shadow shrugged. "For example." he said.

In that moment, little Coral started to cry.

Amy sighed. "Make yourself useful then and bring Coral with you. She is also hungry and needs to be fed." she said.

Shadow nodded and did as he was told.

…

A few hours later.

Night Time.

Bathroom.

The hot, scented water felt too good. Shadow leaned back in the tub though it really was too small for 3 grown-up people, closing his eyes, sighing contentedly. Shadow could hear Sonic and Amy laughing and whispering with each other.

Then Shadow felt someone tapping his right thigh with its left hand. Opening his eyes, he could see that it was Sonic.

Shadow shot a questioning look at his younger brother, who just winked at him.

"I'll be right back!" Sonic said, exiting the tub.

When Shadow's gaze fell on Amy, he could see her shrugging then moving over to him, leaning her back against his broad chest. For some reason, this gesture touched Shadow.

When thinking back to all the other women Shadow and Sonic had shared actually it had been 6 in total, if he didn't count the one nightstands, sooner or later the girls would prefer either his or his younger brother's company. And, honestly after Sonic's confession that he wished to marry Amy and her accepting of the proposal, Shadow had already gotten used to the thought that her affection towards him might have cooled down but her behavior today hinted at something completely different.

So Shadow just wrapped his arms around Amy's waist pulling her close, kissing her neck. "Thank you." he said whispering.

Amy turned halfway towards Shadow. "For what?" she asked, her green eyes sparkling.

Shadow kissed Amy's right temple. "For being such an amazing woman and giving birth to my son." he said.

Amy, still halfway facing Shadow, raised an eyebrow. "Only your son? What about your daughter?" she asked.

Shadow understood what Amy meant as he and Sonic had refrained from DNA testing in order to find out who had fathered which child. For them especially for Sonic both Eclipse and Coral were their children. Nevertheless, since Coral had purple quills and Sonic's emerald green eyes and no one else in their direct family had emerald green eyes, neither their grandparents nor their mother or uncles, except from Sonic's biological father, Shadow was sure that Coral was completely Sonic's.

"You know what I mean."Shadow said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I know. And I totally agree with you. Call it a mother's intuition, but I'm sure that Eclipse is yours whereas Coral is Sonic's. But don't tell him, please." she said, begging.

"I won't." Shadow said promising, kissing Amy's right temple again.

Shadow and Amy fell silent after that exchange, just being content to be close to each other then Sonic came back.

Sonic was carrying a tablet with a bottle of pink champagne, Amy's favorite, 3 glasses and a small dark grey box with both hands.

Shadow scowled at his younger brother. "You know that she can't drink alcohol since she is breast-feeding our children!" he said.

Sonic, who was wearing a blue and grey striped bathrobe, just rolled his eyes while Amy caught Shadow's attention by slightly scratching her right nails over his left thigh.

"I've already expressed enough milk for tonight and tomorrow morning, so I'm allowed to have 1 or 2 glasses of champagne... We have something to celebrate, after all." Amy said.

Shadow would never forget Sonic's smug smile, conveying that he wasn't as immature and irresponsible as Shadow might have thought.

Shadow cleared his throat. "What do we have to celebrate, then? It isn't Rose's birthday yet, we already drank to your wedding yesterday and the birth of our little ones has been celebrated several times... So, what's the occasion?" he asked.

Shadow saw that Sonic and Amy were exchanging a look then Sonic poured champagne for each of them, handing out the glasses to Shadow and Amy with his right hand, was also holding Sonic's so that he could shed his bathrobe, grab the box and climb back into the tub with them.

When Sonic was also settled in the bathtub, he took his glass from Amy with his right while placing the box on the bathtub's rim.

"Let's drink to us and what we have!" Sonic said.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy clinked glasses then drank. Afterwards, Sonic placed the champagne glass on the bathtub's rim, reaching for the box with his left hand. Sonic's gaze was focused on Amy the whole time as Shadow noticed then Amy nodded.

Sonic handed the box over to Shadow. "Open it." he said.

Raising an eyebrow, Shadow obeyed then he gasped. Inside the box was a ring, similar to the ones Sonic and Amy had exchanged the day before during their wedding ceremony.

"Please tell me that this is not what I think..." Shadow said but Sonic's grin and Amy's smile made him stop. It was exactly that and when Shadow checked the engraving, on the outside, it read 'And now and always, everything conquers love.' On the inside, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy's names were engraved. Shadow & Sonic & Amy, 6th December, 2019." It was the date Shadow and his younger brother had met Amy for the first time.

Shadow was at a loss for words. "Oh my, guys, you are amazing!" he said.

"It's the same engraving like in Amy's and my wedding bands, she wouldn't have it any other way..." Sonic said.

Shadow felt awful.

Since Sonic's proposal Shadow had silently accused Amy of choosing his younger brother over him, based on what he had known so far and now she was totally surprising him.

Therefore, Shadow grabbed Amy's shoulders with both hands and turned her towards him. Shadow saw the raw expression in Amy's eyes and couldn't hold back any longer, capturing her lips with his kissing her passionately.

When Shadow and Amy broke apart panting.

"I love you, Rose, more than words can express!" Shadow said.

Amy met Shadow's gaze. "Show me then!" she said.

Whatever self-restrained Shadow had was dissolved with those words. Shadow showed Amy how much he loved, how much he desired her by pulling her down onto his lap with both hands. Amy gasped and pressed her right nails into Shadow's left shoulder when he guided his cock inside of her.

"Careful brother, she is still a little bit sore from giving birth to our children and well, maybe last night. You have to treat her gently." Sonic said whispering into his right ear.

And the fact that Sonic didn't mind his older brother having his way with his wife was like an erotic to him. Although Shadow had to hold back a little bit since he didn't want to hurt Amy, he experienced pure bliss simply by joining his body with his sister-in-law's, his best friend's, his lover's, Amy's and he made sure that she was also enjoying it and he was surprised when her breasts ejected some milk due to sexual arousal and stimulation, whereas Sonic just encouraged him to taste it, like he had the previous night, as he confessed.

Afterwards, Shadow was holding Amy close, whispering sweet nothings into her right ear and she clung to him. It was as if nothing had changed, as if Amy wasn't wearing his younger brother's ring on her finger and Shadow for hers. Yet there was also another ring, a third one, waiting for him.

Shadow reached out his right hand to grab the box again, contemplating the meaning of this ring and the engraving.

"So, you want me to be a part of your marriage then?" Shadow asked Sonic and Amy.

Sonic and Amy exchanged a look for a moment.

"Well, maybe not a part of our marriage, but a part of our relationship. You said so yourself, that you are still a part of this relationship and even if you didn't say it, our tattoos would be proof to this. We are wearing each other's names on our wrists. And as I told you before, if it were possible, I would have asked her to marry you and me. But since it isn't possible..." Sonic said, just shrugging his shoulders.

"And believe me, Shadow, if it were possible, I would have married not only Sonic, but also you. But with this ring, I thought I could convey to you that you are important to me, to us!" Amy said.

"Yeah, we are not complete without you." Sonic said and he looked so lost and adorable at that moment.

Shadow just pulled Sonic close while Amy was still sitting in his lap, pressing their foreheads together as much as it was possible with Amy between them.

Then they all winced when they heard a wailing over the audio baby monitor. One of their little ones had obviously woken up and demanded attention.

Amy sighed. "Maybe it's time to leave this sanctuary and face reality." she said, supporting her weight on Shadow's shoulders lifting herself from his lap.

Amy gasped as Shadow slipped out of her.

Shadow drew his eyebrows together. "You all right?" he asked.

Amy nodded, blushing slightly. "Yeah, just sore, like Sonic said. I'm afraid I will have to refrain from such activities for the next couple of days." she said.

Amy climbed gracefully out of the tub reaching for one of the white fluffy towels, wrapping her body in it with both hands. Shadow followed Amy's retreating figure with his eyes and looking at his younger brother, he could see that he was doing the same.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Come on, Sonic, let's get out of the water as well, it's constantly cooling down and without her, it isn't as much fun." he said.

Saying that, Shadow also climbed out of the tub less gracefully than Amy, grabbed another towel and threw a third one at his younger brother who had reluctantly stood up with his left hand.

"Let's help her with our babies, Sonic." Shadow said encouragingly, wrapping the towel around his waist with both hands then left the bathroom.

When Shadow entered the bedroom, fortunately the bathroom not only had a door leading to the corridor that gave Shadow the creeps, but also a connecting door to the bedroom, Amy was sitting in the rocking chairs, little Coral in her arms, quietly singing a lullaby and Shadow recognized the melody because she had been humming it to their children several times by now, but never before had he heard the lyrics. However, Shadow couldn't understand it.

"What language is this?" Shadow asked.

Amy winced as she had obviously been so focused on her task to calm Coral down that she didn't notice Shadow entering which was strange because normally her senses were really sharp.

Understanding that it was just him, Amy sighed with relief.

"You scared me." Amy said, scolding Shadow.

Shadow smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, wasn't my intention." he said, walking over to the rocking chairs kneeling down next to Amy, looking at Coral, who seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Carefully Shadow reached out his right hand, gently stroking Amy's fine pink quills.

"So?" Shadow asked.

"So what?" Amy asked back.

Shadow smiled at Amy, looking deeply into her eyes. "That lullaby you sung for our little girl. What language is it?" he asked.

Amy smiled back at Shadow. "It's Russian. My mother used to sing that lullaby for Scourge and me when we couldn't sleep or had bad dreams or were ill. Her mother, my grandmother had sung it to her as well when she was little." she said.

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "Russian? Your mother is Russian?" he asked.

That piece of information surprised Shadow as he had already met Amy's mother on several occasions after Amy had finally told her about her pregnancy, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her daughter.

Amy's smile widened. "Well, she was born and bred in this country, but my grand-parents immigrated when my grandmother was already 6 months pregnant with my mother." she said.

Amy stood up, carefully placing her daughter in the currently unoccupied crib actually there were 2 cribs in the bedroom now, Silver had helped Shadow to carry down the other crib from his and Scourge's bedroom then she shed the towel and started to get dressed for the night.

Shadow thought that it was a good idea and followed Amy's example actually, Sonic and Amy had insisted he put his clothes and other things in this bedroom, not one of the upstairs bedrooms of which there were 3: 1 bedroom containing another king-sized bed which was occupied by Silver and Scourge, the other one had 2 queens that was the room knuckles and Blaze took and the third just a bunk bed Shadow had thought that this would be his bedroom, but Sonic and Amy had other ideas.

When Shadow and Amy were wearing their nightclothes, dark grey boxers and a dark red t-shirt for Shadow and black yoga pants and a grey tank top for Amy, Sonic entered the bedroom as well.

"What took you so long?" Shadow asked his younger brother.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I cleaned up the bathroom. Honestly, did you think it would do it all by itself?" he asked.

Shadow had to admit that Sonic was right, yet it was an unusual scenario to imagine his little brother doing any cleaning up without being told so. Maybe being a father really helped Sonic to grow up and take over responsibility.

"Well, thank you. I would have been too exhausted to help anyway. Actually I'm looking forward to just lie down and fall asleep, assumed that the bed is as comfortable as it looks!" Amy said while brushing out her quills she had been wearing it in a top bun while they were taking their bath, now she just let it fall down her back and over her shoulders.

Sonic chuckled. "I'm also really tired... didn't get that much sleep last night." he said, winking.

Amy, now settling down on the bed pulling the covers over her, rolled her eyes but didn't reply.

"So that was the reason why you wouldn't let me sleep? Calling every 2 hours? Some kind of revenge because I'm still a bachelor whereas you already tied the knot?" Shadow asked.

Before Sonic, who was getting dressed for the night as well, could react.

"Well, don't forget about the ring. You are bound to us." Amy said, sleepily.

Shadow remembered. Yes, Sonic and Amy had gifted him with a ring, similar to their wedding bands. And if he remembered correctly, the ring was still in the bathroom.

"Um, I think I left the ring in the bathroom." Shadow said, confessing.

Amy, who had been half asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.

"What?" Amy asked, scandalized.

Shadow blushed. "Yeah, well, I was totally overwhelmed by today's events. So, no wonder I forgot about the ring, knowing that there is a beautiful young woman waiting for me in her bedroom." he said, trying to charm Amy.

The young hedgehog woman however just snorted.

"Yeah, sure, especially since this beautiful young woman declared that there wouldn't be any sex for the next couple of days and only went to the bedroom in order to tend to her babies." Amy said.

Sonic was doubling over with laughter. "I swear it, brother, she is too clever for us!" he said.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Well, speak for yourself, brother!" he said, heading for the connecting door to the bathroom to get his ring while he could still hear Sonic's laughter.

…

Morning.

As always, Shadow was the first one to wake up, despite the fact that the babies demanded to be fed and have their diapers changed several times during the night, which was done by the 2 hedgehog brothers because they felt that Amy needed her rest.

So Shadow disentangled himself from a sleeping Sonic and Amy to go out onto the patio where they all had a barbecue the previous evening.

Shadow lit his cigarette, smoking happily as it was his first cigarette in about 10 hours. Shadow hadn't been in the mood to go out onto the porch or the patio all by himself last night, and he didn't want to take Sonic with him because a part of him didn't want to leave Amy and the little ones alone.

Shadow took in his surroundings. The forest, which was fittingly called 'Mystic Mountain' really seemed to be like a solid mass, rather than consisting of several trees. A shiver ran down Shadow's spine.

_"If I ever got lost in those woods, I would never find my way out."_ Shadow thought.

Luckily, the cabin itself was built on a clearing, so there was enough daylight illuminating the premises. A driveway was leading up to the house from the street and a path was leading down from the property into the forest. According to Amy, it led to a small lake and one of the many hiking trails.

Shadow took a deep breath. The morning air was fresh and fragrant, promising another warm and sunny summer day. It was not yet 8 o'clock and there were no sounds except from birds chirping in the trees and small animals scurrying around in the undergrowth. Everything seemed to be so peaceful. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy all could do with some peace and quiet after the events that happened only a couple of months ago.

Before Shadow's thoughts drifted into that direction, he was roused from his musings because somebody put their hands over his eyes from behind. Well, there were only 2 people in this world who would dare to do this and since he couldn't smell licorice and cinnamon, his brother's typical scent but vanilla and jasmine, he immediately knew who it was.

"Good morning, Amy." Shadow said.

The beautiful pink hedgehog just made a frustrated sound, taking her hands off Shadow's eyes, moving in front of him.

"How did you figure out it was me?" Amy asked.

Shadow smiled, taking another drag from his cigarette. "Your scent gave you away." he said.

Amy frowned. "Are you saying that I smell?" she asked, unbelievingly.

Shadow chuckled, shaking his head. "No. Well, at least not in the negative sense of the word. I could smell your scent, not my brother's, so I knew it was you." he said.

This answer seemed to satisfy Amy as she just nodded.

"That makes sense. You also smell differently from Sonic, you know." Amy said.

Shadow cocked an eyebrow, "Yeah? Although we are brothers?" he said.

Amy smiled up at Shadow. "Yes, definitely." she said.

Amy reached out her left hand to brush one of Shadow black and red quills and he captured her left fingers in his right hand, pressing a soft kiss to her left palm.

"I'm sorry." Shadow said.

Amy drew her eyebrows together. "Sorry for what?" she asked wanting to know, looking deeply into Shadow's eyes.

Shadow sighed. "You know, when you accepted Sonic's proposal, I thought that it happened again, that you were just another girl who preferred my brother, although we had all agreed on being in this relationship together. It wouldn't have been the first time," he confessed.

"Do you think me so fickle?" she asked breathlessly, trying to pull her hand away.

Shadow's grip on her hand only intensified, even trying to pull her closer, but she resisted and so he finally released her hand, sighing.

"No, not now at least. You proved to be cut from a different cloth than the other girls. You really surprised me last night, you know, insisting on me having a similar ring with the same engravings like Sonic's and yours, even allowing me to make love to you, although you are married to my brother." Shadow said.

Amy smiled again, taking Shadow's right hand into her left hand, entwining their fingers.

"Of course." Amy said. "Nothing has changed between us. Only that I am now sharing your family name!"

Amy was right. Although a lot of independent young women were insisting on keeping their maiden name after their wedding, she changed hers to 'The Hedgehog'. That fact led to Shadow's next question, a question he almost didn't dare to ask.

Nevertheless, Shadow cleared his throat, holding Amy's gaze. "What if I had asked you first to marry me? Would you also have agreed to my proposal?" he asked.

For a moment, the whole forest seemed to have fallen silent, waiting for her response at least it seemed like that to Shadow who couldn't perceive anything else but his own heartbeat and Amy breathing while he felt like drowning in the depths of her eyes, as wild and impenetrable as those woods surrounding them.

"Do you really want to know the answer?" Amy asked, whispering.

For a moment, Shadow was tempted to say 'yes', either receiving confirmation for his suspicion that Amy really preferred Sonic or finding out that his cowardice and chivalry were to blame for letting his opportunity slip to become the husband of the most amazing woman in the whole world then he decided against it.

"No, it wouldn't change anything now, would it? You are married to Sonic." Shadow asked.

Shadow grinded out his cigarette in the ashtray with his left hand that was still sitting on the garden table, a relic of last night's merry gathering, freeing his right hand from Amy's left hand, going back inside the cabin while he could still feel her green eyes on him.

Upon entering the kitchen, which led out onto the patio, Shadow noticed that Knuckles and Blaze had also woken up in the meantime, even started preparing breakfast. Knuckles was already properly dressed, wearing beige bermuda shorts and a dark blue t-shirt whereas Blaze was still in her nightclothes, yellow and light-blue striped sleeping shorts and a light-blue top.

"Good morning!" Shadow said.

Both of Shadow's friends turned towards him, Knuckles smiling shyly.

Blaze raising an eyebrow. "Why are you blaming Amy for her decision?" she asked.

Shadow coughed. _"Does it mean that Knuckles and Blaze had been witness to me and Rose's conversation?"_ he thought.

"Excuse me, what?" Shadow asked.

Blaze rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you know what I mean. You are pissed that Amy married Sonic instead of you. But let me tell you something, Mr Hesitant. If you don't show your real feelings towards a woman, she will always opt for the one who is straightforward about his intentions!" she said, storming out of the kitchen, onto the patio, certainly fraternizing with Amy.

_"But is it really called fraternizing when only females are involved?"_ Shadow thought.

Shadow looked questioningly at Knuckles, but his younger cousin simply shrugged, smiling apologetically.

"Sorry, but we couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I don't know why Blaze is so furious about the way you are treating Amy..." Knuckles said.

Shadow interrupted Knuckles. "The way I'm treating Rose? Tell me, cousin, how am I treating her?" he asked, challenging.

Knuckles obviously started feeling uncomfortable. "I don't know... maybe as if you are blaming her for wearing Sonic's ring on her finger? She decided to become his wife, not yours, after all." he questioned.

Shadow snorted. "This is nobody else's business, but Rose's, Sonic's and mine!" he said.

Stepping closer to Knuckles, who tried to back away but couldn't because the kitchen counter was right behind him, Shadow showed him his left hand.

"Do you see that? This ring? Sonic and Rose gave it to me last night, right before I had sex with my brother's wife! And Sonic approved. I am also part of this relationship and it was Rose who wanted to make sure that I don't feel left out because she insisted on me having the same ring she and Sonic are wearing as wedding bands! So, I would be glad if you and your fiancé don't meddle in our affairs!" Shadow questioned.

Shadow turned on his heel, storming out of the kitchen towards the living room, opening the door with his right hand that led to the corridor from which he could reach their, yes, his and Amy's and Sonic's bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

The noise woke up Sonic and their babies, who immediately started crying.

"What?" Sonic asked sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes with his right hand.

Shadow sighed. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up, or scare the babies." he said.

Shadow immediately turned towards the cribs. Instinctively Shadow wanted to tend to Eclipse, the child he was convinced to be his but then he turned towards little Coral, their little princess, with a combination of his younger and lover's colored quills and his younger brother's eyes. As soon as Shadow lifted Coral up and she stopped crying, looking at him with big emerald green eyes, trying to smile. Shadow had a déjà-vu, remembering another baby with the same eyes, but cobalt blue quills, reacting similar to him, although he had only been a child then.

"I swear Shads, Eclipse looks just like you." Sonic said standing next to Shadow on the right side, lifting the crying little boy out of his crib with both hands.

For some reason that comment touched Shadow deeply. Even Sonic seemed to admit that Eclipse was his son then, Sonic did something completely unexpected by pulling Shadow close, resting his forehead against his brother's, while they were holding their babies.

"You know I love you, don't you? More than anything else in this world... well, except from our children... and Amy... and our mother..." Sonic asked.

Shadow closed his eyes, smiling.

Of course Shadow knew as he felt the same, since the first time he had seen his baby brother. So Shadow had been the one to change Sonic's leg compresses every hour when his little brother had suffered from pneumonia at the age of 5, he had been the one to change his brothers bedclothes whenever he had wetted them after a nightmare at the age of 7 and was afraid to tell their mother, the one who had given everybody a bloody nose who had dared to call his little brother a momma's boy and a pansy while pushing him around in the schoolyard at the age of thirteen because in their eyes Sonic had been too lanky and too pretty although Shadow had been called to the headmaster's office for that and was suspended from school for a week, like the other boys who were involved in the brawl, but in Shadow's eyes it had been totally worth it.

"Love you too, little brother." Shadow said and that was it, everything they needed to confess to each other.

For a moment Shadow and Sonic remained like that, enjoying each other's company while they were holding their still crying babies then the door to their bedchamber opened, it was Amy.

"Are they hungry?" Amy asked.

Shadow and Sonic exchanged a look.

"Well, we don't know..." Shadow said.

Amy drew her eyebrows together. "Honestly, what kind of fathers are you?" she asked, taking both babies into her arms, going over to the rocking chairs, sitting down. "The milk is in the fridge, I can't breastfeed them now due to the champagne last night, remember? You need to warm it up."

Shadow and Sonic exchanged a look and after a slight nod from Shadow, Sonic followed Amy's instructions while Shadow walked over to Amy, sitting down on the bed, facing her.

Amy didn't acknowledge Shadow's presence, looking affectionately at her children while humming the Russian lullaby to them, rocking in the chairs. Being a mother really suited Amy and Shadow loved watching and filming her tending to their babies. Especially because Eclipse and Coral always seemed to immediately calm down as soon as Amy was holding them. Well, not this time.

Little Coral had indeed stopped crying and was looking fascinatingly at her mother's face, although she had trouble keeping her eyes open. Apparently Amy wasn't hungry, just upset because Shadow had slammed the door shut.

Little Eclipse, however, was still crying, tears streaming down his face, kicking his chubby arms and legs.

"Can you please take your son for a while, Shadow? I don't want him to unsettle Coral again. She is almost asleep." Amy asked.

"Yeah, sure." Shadow said, standing up, taking his son from Amy's arms with both hands then sitting back down on the bed. For a moment it seemed that Eclipse was calming down as soon as he was in Shadow's arms, looking curiously at his father's face, before starting crying again.

"I don't know what's wrong with him. Before yesterday, I could have sworn that Coral was less calm than Eclipse, but now..." Amy said but stopped talking, just shrugged her shoulders.

Shadow knew what Amy meant. Whereas Coral had only woken up once during the night because she was hungry and needed fresh diapers, Eclipse had woken up 4 times but only once he needed to be fed and have his diapers changed. The other times Eclipse had just demanded his fathers' attention, keeping Shadow and Sonic really busy.

Finally, Sonic had the idea to take the baby with them into their bed so that he could feel the closeness to all his parents, which fortunately calmed him down a bit.

"Maybe he doesn't like the cabin." Shadow said, cradling his son.

Amy looked at Shadow, drawing her eyebrows together.

"Why would you say that?" Amy asked.

Shadow shrugged. "It just popped into my head. But he is certainly just hungry." he said.

Amy studied Shadow for a moment then she nodded. Shadow and Amy remained silent for a while, Eclipse's wailing and the rocking chair's creaking the only sounds in the room then Coral was fast asleep and Amy got up in order to place the baby in her crib. Afterwards Amy settled down next to Shadow on the bed on the right side, reaching out her right hand to caress her son's chubby muzzle.

Shadow had the feeling that Amy wanted to say something but didn't know how to.

"What's up?" Shadow asked quietly.

Amy took a deep breath, folding both hands in her lap. "Sonic told me something about my engagement ring on our wedding night..." she said.

Amy fell silent again, playing with the white golden band, adorned by a pure white, star-shaped diamond.

Shadow could feel his heart beating faster. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah." Amy said, taking another deep breath then she sighed. "Why didn't you tell me that you bought it together with him? That it was chosen and paid for by both of you?"

Shadow who shrugged. "Is that so important?" he asked.

Amy took Shadow's face between her hands, forcing him gently to look at her.

"For me it is." Amy said.

Shadow and Amy looked deeply into each other's eyes before Amy leaned towards him, kissing him softly on the lips for a moment then she stood up from the bed.

"I'll go and check what is taking Sonic so long, honestly, he just has to heat the bottle up. Poor Eclipse is going to starve before his Daddy shows up with the milk." Amy said.

Shadow chuckled about Amy's comment.

When Amy entered the kitchen, she saw Sonic talking animatedly to Silver and Scourge while Knuckles was making scrambled eggs and pancakes and was heating up 2 feeding milk bottles.

"Sonic!" Amy said in a serious tone.

Sonic froze then slowly turned into Amy's direction.

"Hey, Ames, did you miss me?" Sonic asked trying to flirt, beaming at Amy.

This time however it had no effect on Amy as she was simply standing there, on the threshold to the kitchen, her arms folded in front of her chest, scowling. Sonic swallowed and looked as if he were rather anywhere else.

"Can you tell me what you are doing?" Amy asked, demanding to know.

"Um, I went to the kitchen to heat up the milk for our babies, but then I ran into Silver and Scourge who came down for breakfast and somehow we started talking about our crazy dreams..." Sonic said, trying to defend himself.

Amy didn't want to hear Sonic's ridiculous excuses, so she raised her left hand in order to make him stop talking, and Sonic obeyed.

"Save your excuses! I was sitting in the bedroom with two crying babies and waiting for you to bring the baby bottles. Fortunately, Coral has calmed down apparently she wasn't hungry. But Eclipse is still crying because his Daddy totally forgot about him! You are my husband now. I need to be able to rely on you. And you completely left me alone!" Amy said.

Sonic was pouting. "You weren't alone. Shadow was helping you." he said.

"Yes, he was. Maybe I should have married him instead of you!" Amy said.

"Maybe. But he would've never had the guts to ask you!" Sonic said, yelling after Amy as she stormed out of the kitchen, really angry.

A part of Amy felt bad for scolding Sonic in front of their friends and family, patronizing him. Yet another part of Amy thought that Sonic deserved it if he wanted to behave like a child, she would treat him like one.

Still fuming, Amy re-entered the bedroom. Shadow, who was now cradling 2 crying babies, turned towards Amy.

"What happened?" Shadow asked.

Amy took a deep breath, flopping down on the bed. "Sonic." she said, looking yearningly at her babies.

Amy wanted to go over to Eclipse and Coral and take them into her arms because it always comforted her to smell and feel her little son and her little daughter. However, Amy was still too upset and feared that she would unsettle them, they always seemed to sense how she was feeling and reacted to it.

Shadow sighed. "Let me guess, he got distracted and forgot to heat up the feeding milk bottles." he said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah." she said.

Shadow sighed, coming over to Amy and sitting down next to her on the right side.

"He doesn't do such things on purpose, you know. When he was 9, his primary school teacher assumed that he had an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because of his bad performance in school, his inattentiveness, his restlessness. She recommended we should talk to his pediatrician about some treatment, like behavioral therapy, medication, change of diet, but mom would have none of it. She said that Sonic was just a special child and the teacher simply didn't know him the way we did. And that was it, mom refused to believe that Sonic had ADHD and we never talked to a pediatrician or any other doctor not even Dr. Eggman about it. However, I did some research on my own and I fear I would agree with his teacher." Sonic said.

Amy was thunderstruck. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I think I should have known about this before..." she asked.

Amy interrupted herself before she could say something that she would regret later.

"Before what?" Shadow asked.

Amy took a deep breath as she needed to be honest. "Before I decided to have his child, before I married him." she said.

Saying that Amy got up from the bed, heading for the bathroom, knowing that her babies were in good hands, she needed some time alone.

...

20 minutes later.

After taking a shower and brushing her teeth, Amy left the bathroom only wrapped in a towel. When Amy entered the bedroom she saw that it was empty, no sign of Shadow, Sonic or the babies. Amy was grateful for that.

While getting dressed, Amy couldn't help but notice how swollen and heavy her breasts were, she really should have expressed milk after getting up since she didn't breastfeed her children during the night. Amy swore that she would never drink alcohol again for as long as she was nursing her son and her daughter in order to avoid all the trouble it entailed.

Yet Amy had somehow wanted to repeat her wedding night, this time with both hedgehog brothers, showing Shadow that she still loved him, that she needed and wanted him, that Sonic was still fine with sharing her. Hence the champagne and the ring. Actually, Sonic and Amy had planned to officially put the ring on Shadow's left ring finger while in the tub, enjoying each other's company, renewing their vows from last year when Amy got her tattoos then she somehow got distracted.

Although Sonic had really tired her out on their wedding night, Amy needed to feel Shadow inside of her, needed to be connected to him in the most intimate of ways. Admittedly, Amy would have preferred it to happen in the huge 4 poster bed, not in the tub, but her need for Shadow had overwhelmed her and she had wanted him immediately, and Shadow had been grateful. Amy would have loved to go another round later, but her soreness had prevented her from even considering it.

When Amy left the bedroom and entered the corridor, she felt a shiver running down her spine. It appeared as if the corridor was several degrees colder than the other rooms. Furthermore, it always seemed to be gloomy. So Amy hurried to the living room.

Amy immediately noticed the tense atmosphere. Scourge and Blaze appeared to be calming down an agitated Silver and Knuckles, while Eclipse and Coral were peacefully sleeping in their carriers.

"Amy, finally! You really upset Sonic with your outburst. He stormed out of the cabin right into the woods, without getting properly dressed, wearing just his boxers, a t-shirt and flip-flops and he didn't take a map or any water with him, I tried to stop him, I really did, but he said he needed some time alone, to cool off!" Knuckles said to Amy.

Amy felt her heart missing a beat. "What?" she asked, completely shocked.

"Yeah, and what is worse, when Shadow learned about it, he left Coral and Eclipse in our care, told us to feed them which we did and then he ran after Sonic, also not taking anything with him." Blaze said.

Suddenly, Amy felt dizzy. Swaying, Amy needed to grab the door frame with her left hand in order to steady herself as she knew these woods. The forest were dangerous, especially when you had a bad sense of direction, like Sonic something he had inherited from his uncle, as he had confessed to Amy. Every year several people went missing in the woods, some of them were never found, others were found dead admittedly, some people were also found alive. If anything happened to Shadow and Sonic, it would be Amy's fault. Amy couldn't imagine a life without Shadow and Sonic, not anymore, not after she was the mother of their children.

"Amy? You alright?" Scourge asked, rushing to Amy's side to supporting her.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, it's just..." she said but didn't finish the sentence because she didn't really know what she actually wanted to say.

Scourge led Amy over to the couch, forcing her to sit down.

"I'll get you some water!" Amy said and left the room, only to return shortly after with a glass of water with her left hand. Amy drank automatically. "We need to do something."

"We already did. We called the rangers' station. They told us to stay here while they would patrol the hiking trails, also keeping an eye on the spinney, trying to find them, especially since we informed them that Sonic just got married and is a new dad." Knuckles said.

Amy nodded again. Amy wanted to correct Knuckles, saying, that Shadow was also a new dad, but she kept quiet. Maybe Shadow, Sonic, and Amy's relationship was too complicated for others to grasp and that was what had caused all this mess.

"So we'll just sit here and wait?" Amy asked.

"We'll just sit here and wait." Blaze said then she frowned. "Um, Amy, you have there something on your top."

When Amy looked down her front, she understood what Blaze meant. Amy still hadn't expressed the excess milk, so her breasts were leaking. Of course they were, since Amy took herbal supplements, pills and tea, and ate special foods to increase breast milk production so that she could breastfeed both babies without needing to use formula.

"Oh, no." Amy said setting the cup down and jumping up from the couch, blushing.

Amy headed for her bedroom in order to pump milk, remembering how carefully and shyly Shadow had suckled her breast last night after she had involuntarily ejected some milk during sex, completely different from Sonic who had confidently and aggressively latched on to her after the same had happened on their wedding night.

When Amy was done, she put on a fresh bra, a fresh top and her hiking boots then she grabbed her phone with her right hand and went back to her older twin brother and her friends.

"I'm going out there in order to find them." Amy said.

Knuckles and Blaze looked at Amy as if she had lost her mind, Silver frowned.

Scourge studied Amy for a moment. "I'm coming with you, just let me get my hiking boots." he said.

Amy smiled thankfully at Scourge, rushing to the kitchen in order to get 2 bottles of water as it wouldn't be the first time that she and her older twin brother went out to explore the forest. Yet it would be the first time they didn't do it for fun.

When Amy re-entered the living room, Scourge was back, crouching on the floor, lacing up his boots while Silver was arguing with him.

"Are you completely suicidal? If your crazy sister wants to go out there and look for her lost lovers, fine! It's her fault, after all, that my cousins are stumbling through the wilderness like 2 lovesick idiots!" Silver asked.

Upon hearing that, Amy gasped.

_"That was how Silver thought about me? Regarding her as some kind of femme fatal who had only brought harm to Shadow and Sonic?"_ Amy thought.

Silver's comment, however, seemed to make Scourge furious. Standing up to his full height, Scourge was towering over the shorter, but stouter Silver, arms akimbo.

"Never say anything like that about Amy again, or I swear to god, Silver, you and me are history. By the way, it had been your devious cousins who corrupted my sweet sister!" Scourge said.

Amy had heard enough. Although Amy appreciated that Scourge defended her, she didn't like it that he and Silver were fighting. By now, they all had fought enough, snapping at each other, hurting each other. What once appeared to be a great idea, spending some time together, all of them, had turned sour by now.

So Amy cleared her throat, arousing the other's attention.

Blaze and knuckles looked uncomfortable, Silver looked pissed, Scourge sorrowful.

"Ready to go?" Amy asked her older twin brother, ignoring all the others.

Scourge nodded.

As they were heading to the front door, Blaze called after them.

"Do you think it wise to go out there, Amy? What about your babies?" Blaze asked.

For a moment, Amy stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes, but she kept her cool.

"They should be fine. They just fed, as you told me, and there are still 2 baby bottles with my milk in the fridge. If they get hungry, just heat up the bottles and feed them. I will be back later to nurse them. And I will bring Shadow and Sonic with me!" Amy said.

Without looking back, Amy left the cabin, Scourge right behind her.

…

Sonic stumbled through the undergrowth and could feel how the little thorns of the blackberry and raspberry bushes scratched his legs. Sonic didn't care and if he was honest, it didn't even hurt that much, at least not as much as Amy's words.

_"Did she really regret marrying me? Just because I made one mistake? It wasn't as if I totally forgot about the milk for our babies. After Knuckles had asked me why he had come to the kitchen, I remembered and Knuckles heated up the bottles for me. So the little ones would have gotten their milk, in any case, maybe a little bit later than planned, but still..."_ Sonic thought.

However, Amy's scolding was uncalled for. Amy could have voiced her displeasure about Sonic's unreliability and he would have accepted that she was angry with him. However, Amy didn't need to be so mean to Sonic, telling him that she would have rather married Shadow.

Sonic could feel tears welling up in his eyes then running down his cheeks. Sonic wiped them away with the back of his right hand angrily. Yet more tears were coming, blurring Sonic's vision, making it difficult for him to find his way through the spinney. Sonic tripped several times but kept his balance until suddenly his left foot got caught in a twine and before he could catch his fall, he was hitting the ground, hard. Sonic felt something sharp piercing the skin on his left thigh, a dull pain in his left wrist.

_"Great, Sonic, you are even too incompetent to properly run away."_ Sonic thought, trying to sit up.

It seemed to Sonic that he had sprained his left wrist and upon checking he noticed that he had ruptured his left thigh on a dried up and stone hard piece of wood. It hurt like hell and bled heavily. Sonic pressed his right hand to the wound, hoping to be able to stop the bleeding, but it didn't really work. Carefully, Sonic sat up, inspecting his surroundings. Sonic was really in the depth of the woods, far away from any hiking trail. What was worse, Sonic didn't take his phone with him. Even if he wasn't injured, it would be difficult for Sonic to find his way home to find his way back to his older brother and his wife and their babies.

Sonic started sobbing uncontrollably. _"Just because I was angry, I ran into the woods and now he was going to die out here! Never again would I be able to embrace Shadow or kiss Amy or hold Coral and Eclipse!"_ he thought.

Sonic screwed up again, but this time, there was no Shadow to put things right because his older brother didn't even know where he was.

Sonic didn't know how long he had been sitting there crying, holding his injured left leg, when suddenly he heard a voice calling out to him. Sonic stopped his sobbing.

_"Was I already hallucinating? No, there was definitely someone calling my name. But I recognize the voice, I always would, for as long as I lived. It was my brother! Shadow had come to save him!"_ Sonic thought.

Sonic braced himself then he stood up, trying to make out his older brother in the dim light, but couldn't see anything.

"Shadow?" Sonic asked, holding his breath afterwards, waiting for his older brother's reply then, very quietly, he could hear Shadow's voice.

Frantically, Sonic looked around, hoping to see his older brother but couldn't. "Shadow!" he said, louder this time.

"Sonic, where are you? I can hear you!" Shadow asked.

Sonic could feel his heart beating faster as his older brother was there, so sooner or later he would find him. Sonic just had to make sure that Shadow could locate his voice, so he started calling for his brother in regular intervals. Sonic was convinced that Shadow's voice was drawing nearer, heading right into his direction. Then, finally, Sonic could make out his brother's black and red quills between the tree trunks and undergrowth, his dark red t-shirt and dark grey boxers from last night.

"Shadow!" Sonic said waving his arms, stumbling towards his older brother, ignoring his wounded left thigh, feeling how the blood trickled down his left leg.

"Sonic!" Shadow said, running towards Sonic.

Finally, they met and Sonic flung his arms around his brother's neck, whereas Shadow wrapped his arms tightly around the other's waist. Shadow and Sonic just held each other tight for a while, not saying a word, Sonic was laughing and crying at the same time then they drew apart.

"I was so worried about you! Never do anything like that ever again, do you hear me? I thought I would never find you! Do you know how dangerous these woods are?" Shadow asked, scolding.

Sonic wiped his tears away with his right hand, feeling slightly embarrassed. No wonder Amy would rather be married to Shadow. Sonic had again managed to behave like a sulky child, running away into the woods because he was pissed, getting in trouble, needing his big brother to help him. Shadow's telling-off was further proof to this. Sonic was a father and a husband now and he needed to act more responsible in the future. Sonic needed to prove to Amy that marrying him hadn't been a mistake.

Shadow's features softened. "You are hurt. Come, sit down, let me have a look at it." he said.

Shadow led Sonic over to a fallen tree which was forming a natural bench.

"Oh my, it really is a deep cut, I think you might need some stitches, but I'll try to wrap it up so that you won't die of blood loss." Shadow said, trying to joke.

Sonic just rolled his eyes as he knew he screwed up then Shadow took off his t-shirt with both hands and wrapped it around Sonic's left thigh.

"That should stop the bleeding long enough until we get back to the cabin and Blaze and Rose can have a look at it." Shadow said then he stood up and reached out his right hand into Sonic's direction to draw him to his feet as well.

Sonic took it with his right hand while frowning at his older brother. "Do you know the way back?" he asked.

Shadow blushed. "Well, not really, but we don't have any other opportunity but to try, don't we?" he asked then he briefly squeezed Sonic's right hand before letting go of it. "Come on, let's go back to the others. When I left, they were really worried."

Sonic swallowed. "Even... her?" he asked, wanting to know.

Shadow sighed. "To be honest, when I left, she didn't know that you were gone, but I'm certain that the others have already informed her about our absence and, yes I believe that she must be worried sick! No matter how angry she might have been with you, she loves you, you idiot!" he said and put his right hand to Sonic's neck, pulling him close in order to press their foreheads together.

Then Shadow and Sonic started their way back. Shadow said that he somehow remembered certain prominent tree formations and thus might find their way through the thicket, but Sonic had the feeling that they were walking in circles. Sonic was thirsty and hungry, his left leg and left wrist were aching and the air in the forest was so dense, he had trouble breathing.

"Can we... can we take a break, Shads? I'm so exhausted!" Sonic asked, pleading.

Shadow stopped dead in his tracks, turning towards Sonic. "You alright?" he asked, worriedly.

Sonic licked his dry and cracked lips. "Yeah... no, I don't know. I'm feeling dizzy... I need to sit down!" he said before sinking down to the ground and sighing deeply. "We'll never get back home, Shads. We'll never see her or our babies again! We'll die out here, but at least you and I are together!"

Sonic could feel new tears welling up in his eyes.

Shadow crouched down next to Sonic on the left side. "Sonic! Don't give up! We will find back to them, to Rose and Eclipse and Coral! Maybe... maybe we should let our heart guide us. Let's just wish to get back to them I found you, after all..." he said.

Sonic wiped away his tears with his right arm, sniffing then he looked into his older brother's crimson red eyes, nodding. "Yeah, maybe you are right. Maybe we just have to close our eyes and tap our heels 3 times, thinking 'There's no place like home' and we will find back to them." he said sarcastically but actually hoping that it would work like that.

Shadow snorted. "Yeah, maybe we should try that. But first, you have to get up. Come on, Sonic!" he said then stood up and again, he helped his younger brother to his feet, this time not letting go of his right hand with his left hand while they were stumbling through the undergrowth, not thinking about how they could go back to Amy and the babies, but rather finding their way instinctively.

Sonic couldn't believe his eyes. There Amy stood, in a small clearing like a wood nymph in her dark khaki shorts and a light blue tank top, her pink quills illuminated by the sunlight, arms akimbo, looking up to Scourge who had climbed a tree in order to survey their surroundings. Unfortunately, Scourge was looking in the wrong direction and thus had missed Shadow's and Sonic's arrival.

"Amy!" Sonic said, letting go of his older brother's left hand, running towards Amy.

Sonic could see Amy squaring her shoulders, turning into his direction, her eyes widening when she saw him.

"Sonic!" Amy said, heading towards Sonic until they met, embracing tightly.

"Oh, Sonic." Amy said whispering, taking Sonic's face between her hands, kissing him passionately.

Sonic could feel tears burning in his eyes. _"How could I even have assumed that she didn't love me anymore?"_ he thought then suddenly he felt another pair of arms wrapping around him and Amy. It was Shadow.

Amy broke her kiss with Sonic and turned towards Shadow, kissing him now as well.

"I'm so glad you 2 are back." Amy said, first pressing her forehead against Shadow's then she repeated the gesture with Sonic.

In the meantime, Scourge had climbed down from the tree and walked over to Shadow, Sonic, and Amy.

"You 2 are nothing but trouble, yet I'm glad you have returned, safe and sound." Scourge said but Sonic could see the relief in his cyan blue eyes. It was the complete opposite of Shadow's crimson red eyes, however, it reminded Sonic of roses. Amy's eyes, on the other hand, were a jade green, shiny and precious, like those priceless gems. Now those eyes looked at Sonic, soft and caring.

"You are hurt." Amy said, lowering her gaze.

For a moment, Sonic wondered how Amy could tell without looking at his left thigh then he noticed that blood was seeping through Shadow's makeshift bandage and she had probably felt it on her own thigh when they were embracing.

"Yes." Sonic said, blushing.

"He cut his thigh." Shadow said.

Amy frowned then crouched down to inspect the wound, unwrapping Shadow's t-shirt with both hands and she winced when she saw the rupture.

"I think it needs stitches and the margins of the wound already look inflamed, maybe you will also need antibiotics." Amy said.

Sonic frowned. "Maybe Blaze can take care of it she is a nurse, after all." he said.

Amy looked up at Sonic. "Yes, of course, she can clean the wound, disinfect it and professionally bandage it, but I doubt that she has antibiotics. Sonic, this is serious, I don't want to be a widow so shortly after my wedding!" she said.

"Well then, at least, you will be free to marry my brother!" Sonic said and almost instantly regretted it when he saw Amy's hurt expression and heard Shadow's startled gasp.

"You got to be kidding me, Sonic! Do you really think I would have married you if I didn't want to?" Amy asked.

Sonic pouted. "Well, you said so yourself, that maybe you should have married Shadow instead of me because he is always there when you need him, contrary to me!" he said.

Amy got up again, putting her left hand to Sonic's right cheek. "I know I said that. And I'm sorry! Of course I love you, and, of course, I love your brother. So this relationship is not easy for me, always trying to distribute my love for you equally, always trying not to exclude one of you... I accepted your proposal, Sonic because I wished to be married to you. Yet, I also wished to be married to you, Shadow. It was just a question of who asked me first." she said.

For a moment, the 2 hedgehog brothers just looked at each other then they took Amy into their arms, holding her close both of them.

"We love you, Ames." Sonic said whispering, kissing Amy's temple.

"Yeah, more than anything else in the world, except our babies and each other and our mother." Shadow said.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy laughed.

Scourge cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt you, guys, but I think it's time to go back!" he said.

Amy let go of Shadow and Sonic. "You are right. It's almost noon and none of us had any breakfast so far. I'm starving." she said.

Sonic frowned. "And you two know the way back? Without getting lost and stuff?" he asked.

Scourge smiled smugly at Sonic. "Of course we do. It's not the first time Amy and I went exploring these woods we almost know them like the back of our hands!" he said.

Amy just rolled her eyes. "He is exaggerating, at least to some extent. But it's true that we know how to find our way back, we're experienced hikers, after all!" she said.

Amy took Shadow's left hand and Sonic's right hand and followed Scourge who was leading the way from the clearing into the depth of the woods again. Sonic just hoped that the twins were alright and had a better sense of direction than him.

…

10 minutes later.

"Oh my god, there you 4 are finally here!" Blaze said.

Blaze, who was standing in front of the cabin, exclaimed when she saw the small group returning and she was holding a crying Coral in her arms, and although her words seemed to be directed at the 4 of them, her eyes were focused on Amy.

"What happened?" Amy asked worriedly, letting go of Shadow's left hand and Sonic's right hand, rushing towards her younger friend and her little daughter.

Blaze frowned. "Approximately 30 minutes ago, Eclipse and Coral started crying. So, Knuckles and I changed their diapers and when they wouldn't calm down after that, Silver heated up the 2 remaining bottles with your breast milk because we thought that they were hungry. Actually, Eclipse started drinking right away, but Coral refused the bottle, didn't want to drink, yet she also didn't stop crying. I've been walking around with her the whole time, while Knuckles and Silver tended to Eclipse. He finished his bottle but didn't stop crying as well. It really made us nervous, thinking that maybe something had happened to Shadow and Sonic or you!" she said.

Amy smiled at the younger cat woman and briefly embraced her while taking her daughter into her arms. "Nothing happened, we are all back, although Sonic is hurt. Can you please take a look at his thigh and his wrist?" she asked.

Blaze nodded, seeming to be glad to be rid of the responsibility to take care of little Coral.

However, as soon as Amy pressed her daughter to her chest, the baby stopped crying, opened her big emerald green eyes in order to look at her mother then pressed her little face against Amy's left breasts as if smelling the milk in it, which she actually probably did.

"Are you hungry, my precious?" Amy asked quietly and as if in response the infant girl hedgehog made a reassuring sound.

Amy smiled down at her then she pressed a kiss to Coral's forehead.

"Ouch! Honestly, are you treating all of your patients at the hospital as roughly as that, Blaze?" Sonic asked, complaining.

Amy briefly turned around, seeing Blaze kneeling in front of the cobalt blue quilled young man, unwrapping the makeshift bandage while Shadow was supporting his younger brother.

Scourge was hovering behind them. Amy remembered his fight with Silver and understood that he avoided going inside.

Yet Amy's daughter was hungry and she also wanted to look after her son, so she left the others behind because she was sure that Blaze knew what she was doing. When Amy entered the cabin, she saw Silver sitting on one of the couches in the living room, frowning at and singing to, Amy was sure it was 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica the little boy in his arms who was wailing and squirming while Knuckles was on the phone, pacing up and down.

"Hey, guys." Amy said, announcing her presence.

Both Knuckles and Silver looked at Amy as if she was a ghost.

"Finally." Silver said sighing, getting up from the couch and walking over to Amy.

There was a question in Silver's golden eyes and Amy knew what he tried to convey.

"Scourge is still outside with Shadow and Sonic!" Amy said.

Silver gave Amy a small nod then he stormed outside, the crying baby male hoglet still in his arms.

Knuckles just ended his phone call. "Yes, yes they have all returned now. Thank you so much for your help! Goodbye." he said then he turned towards her. "I'm glad you are all back, Amy. Um, do you need me here? Or can I go outside to my cousins?"

Amy smiled up at Knuckles. "Go to your cousins, Knuckles. Coral is hungry and I will have to feed her now." she said.

Knuckles blushed. "Oh, okay." he said and followed Silver outside.

Amy sighed as she settled down on the couch, pulling down the strap of her top with her right hand, opening her nursing bra, letting her daughter latch onto her left breast. Amy made a startled gasp as the little child drank with a strong gulp.

"Hey, Coral, if you are that hungry now, I wonder why you refused the bottle half an hour ago." Amy said while smiling fondly at the baby girl hoglet, gently stroking her chubby muzzle with her right hand.

Then there was a commotion at the door.

"And I'm telling you once again, Sonic, there is only so much I can do, please let one of us drive you to the hospital!" Blaze said angrily.

Sonic made a frustrated sound. "You are not my mother nor my wife, so you can't boss me around!" he said.

"Sonic!" Shadow asked, angrily.

Amy sighed. All Amy longed for was some peace and quiet with her daughter.

"Guys, I don't think we should burst in there like that! Amy made it clear that she wanted to breastfeed Coral." Knuckles said in a worried tone.

"So what? Do you think I haven't already seen my wife's breasts? Or that Shadow hasn't? How do you think Coral and Eclipse were made? Immaculate conception?" Sonic questioned now entering the cabin, supported by his older brother.

Knuckles and Blaze were hot on their heels whereas Silver and Scourge, the white hedgehog's left arm wrapped tightly around the cobalt blue hedgehog's waist, followed after a short while and it was Scourge who was now holding Eclipse in his arms, making funny faces at his nephew who seemed to be unimpressed by it.

Amy frowned at them, but they all didn't seem to care except from Knuckles who neglects looking at her, settling down on the couches and arm chairs. Fortunately, Coral didn't bother, just kept drinking as if she was starving and probably she actually was.

Sonic reclined next to her on the left side and Amy only now noticed that his forehead was covered in sweat.

"Shadow? Can you please check if he has a temperature?" Amy asked Shadow.

Shadow nodded, immediately putting his right hand to Sonic's forehead.

Sonic pulled a face.

"He feels hot, but actually I don't know." Shadow said.

Amy just nodded while Coral was still drinking.

Blaze growled. "I'll go get a thermometer." she said, storming out of the room.

In the meantime, Scourge had settled down on the other couch, Silver beside him on the right side, and the 2 of them tended to Eclipse as if he was their son and considering their situation, being an unmarried gay couple, Eclipse was the closest to having an own child that they probably could get at the moment).

In the end, it actually turned out that Sonic had a temperature but he remained stubborn, refusing to be driven to the hospital despite Shadow's and Amy's attempts at convincing him, only letting Blaze disinfect and sew the wound, before having a fresh bandage wrapped around it.

"I don't want to be separated from Shadow or Amy or my children." Sonic said.

Blaze rolled her eyes. "Alright. But if you aren't feeling better tomorrow morning, I will call an ambulance without your consent if you are still refusing to see a doctor." she said.

Amy silently agreed with Blaze after Coral had finished drinking, while she was closing her nursing bra, pulling up her top strap with her right hand.

…

Night Time.

Sonic woke up in the middle of the night to someone humming a lullaby and the creaking of a rocking chair. When Sonic opened his eyes he could see Amy sitting in the rocking chair in the dark, her figure only illuminated by a few stray moonbeams, highlighting her pink quills and her new grey sleep shirt.

Sonic involuntarily smiled at the picture as he loved to watch Amy interacting with their children, cuddling with them, feeding them, changing their diapers, although this task was almost always done by him or his older brother when they were home, bathing them.

Sonic thought about the things they had learned during their antenatal classes; not only how to get through the birthing process and to care for the babies, but also about the physical and mental changes with regard to the mother and about the strain that having a newborn would put on the parents' relationship. The lady who had given this course had mentioned that it was natural that the first few weeks to months after the birth a new mother would be mainly busy with tending to her child so that maybe other things were neglected. Therefore, many new fathers felt jealous of their children.

Sonic had snorted at that and exchanged a look with his older brother, and Shadow's skeptical expression had shown that he was sharing Sonic's conviction that they would never be jealous of their babies. Shadow had been right. On the contrary, Sonic felt sometimes jealous of Amy since she was the one the babies needed the most at the moment because she was breastfeeding them. Of course, on the few occasions when Amy had pumped milk and Shadow and Sonic had used baby bottles, he and his older brother had fed them but those occasions had been really rare.

Contentedly, Sonic closed his eyes, just listening to Amy humming the lullaby. Suddenly, Sonic frowned. Something was wrong with the melody, it wasn't the lullaby Amy was usually humming or singing to their babies.

_"Why would she suddenly choose a different one?"_ Sonic thought.

"Amy?" Sonic asked.

The humming stopped for a moment then it continued.

Sonic sat up in bed. "Amy!" he said louder.

The humming stopped again then Amy started singing the lyrics.

It made Sonic's quills stand on end.

The lyrics were pretty dark and rather frightening than soothing.

_"Why would she sing something like that to their babies?"_ Sonic thought.

"Amy!" Sonic said to Amy.

Shadow growled in his sleep, rolling onto his other side but Amy didn't react.

Sonic got up and stumbled towards Amy, his left thigh was still hurting but he had refused to see a doctor then he put his right hand on her left shoulder and she stopped singing, looking up at him instead.

Sonic felt how his heart stopped beating for a moment, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Amy's expression frightened Sonic as that wasn't his Amy.

Surprised, Sonic drew his right hand back and Amy started screaming.

Sonic stumbled backwards colliding with one of the cribs, fortunately it was Eclipse's empty crib since Amy was cradling their little boy in her arms. Yet the noise woke up Shadow completely.

Shadow sat up in bed. "What happened?" he asked as he looked between Amy and Sonic then he drew his eyebrows together looking Sonic directly in the eyes.

"What did you do?" Shadow asked his younger brother sternly, getting out of bed and rushing over to Amy.

Shadow put his left hand to Amy's left shoulder and froze.

Sonic knew immediately, that his older brother also noticed that there was something wrong with Amy.

"Amy, give me the baby, now!" Sonic said in a determined tone.

Amy didn't follow Sonic's order, quite the contrary clutching a now crying Eclipse tighter to her chest, but at least she stopped screaming.

"Not Amy!" Amy said, growling.

Sonic's eyes widened. _"This wasn't real, was it?"_ he thought, biting his lip, he stepped forward, grabbing Shadow's right arm with his right hand.

Shadow shook him off, leaning down to Amy, now putting both of his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.

"This is nonsense. You are Amy The Hedgehog, neé Rose, you are Sonic The Hedgehog's wife, mother of Coral and Eclipse The Hedgehog, sister to Scourge Rose and my lover! So fight against it! We all love you!" Shadow said.

For a moment, Amy's body went rigid then her expression changed and she cried.

"Shadow?" Amy asked, sadly.

Sonic let out a gasp of relief. _"Yes, this was our Amy!"_ he thought.

Shadow sighed and took Amy into his arms, minding the baby boy hoglet she was holding.

"What happened?" Shadow asked.

Sonic could hear that Amy was crying, could see her shoulders shaking. Immediately Sonic wanted to go to Amy, to comfort her as well like Shadow then he heard a wailing from Coral's crib and he bent down to take the baby into his arms.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" Sonic asked.

"Hi, um, sorry for disturbing you, but Blaze sent me down in order to ask if everything was alright. She claimed to have heard a woman screaming and thought that maybe there was something wrong with Amy... or the babies..." Knuckles said.

Shadow and Sonic exchanged a look.

"Everything's fine." Sonic said.

"I've just had a nightmare." Amy said.

Knuckles didn't seem to be pleased with that. "Can I come in, then?" he asked.

Sonic got furious. _"Do they really think me or Shadow were hurting Amy or our babies?"_ he thought.

"Of course you can come in! What did you think we were doing?" Sonic asked angrily, exchanging a look with Shadow and Amy.

Knuckles opened the door turning on the lights with his right hand and peeking in shyly, he blushed as he noticed how short Amy's sleep shirt was, exposing all of her long, slim legs.

"I'm sorry but Blaze insisted." Knuckles said.

Amy smiled reassuringly at Knuckles while rocking the still crying Eclipse in her arms. "It's okay, Knuckles. I understand that Blaze is worried. I think I would have reacted the same if I had heard her screaming in the middle of the night!" she said.

Knuckles smiled back then he sent apologetic glanced at Shadow and Sonic. "Again, I'm sorry for disturbing you! Goodnight, everyone!" he said then closed the door with his right hand.

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy sighed with relief.

"Let's go back to bed, then." Shadow said.

Amy smiled tiredly at Shadow. "Yeah, good idea!" she said then got up from the rocking chairs, still clutching a crying Eclipse to her chest.

Shadow helped Amy to climb back into bed with both hands then joined her.

Sonic looked down at the baby in his arms. Coral seemed to have calmed down and were once again sleeping peacefully in Sonic's arms. Sonic decided to put Coral back into the crib and then to follow Shadow's and Amy's example.

Amy seemed to have other ideas. "Sonic no, I don't want her to sleep all alone in her crib. Bring her to our bed as well. I want to have her with me, like Eclipse!" she said.

Sonic nodded then walked over to the bed, his sleeping daughter in his arms. Sonic's left leg hurt like hell and he had trouble climbing into bed with his daughter in his arms but kept quiet.

Shadow seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with Sonic, frowning. "You okay, Sonic?" he asked.

That caused Amy to shoot Sonic a questioning glance while she handed Eclipse over to Shadow so that she could take Coral from her husband's arms which made it easier for him to get into bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just my leg." Sonic said and rested his head against Amy's right shoulder while reaching out his right hand to caress his daughter's silky purple quills.

"I'm worried about you, Sonic. You should have gone to the hospital! Maybe the wound is festering! Tomorrow morning let Blaze have a look at it and if she suggests again that you should see a doctor, I will drive you to the next town. Period!" Amy said.

Sonic made an indistinguishable sound which could be an affirmation or a negation.

"What was that?" Shadow asked sternly, obviously playing his big brother card.

"Yes." Sonic said grumbling, causing Shadow to chuckle.

Shadow was lying on his back holding Eclipse with both hands, who was still wailing quietly close to his chest.

"You know, I'm also worried about the babies." Amy said.

"Why?" Shadow asked quietly.

"Well, for example, Coral isn't drinking enough. And Eclipse is more crying than sleeping. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go on holiday while they are still that young." Amy said.

"And maybe it's just a phase. Maybe they just need some time to adjust to the new environment. But speaking about being worried, Amy, I'm worried about you too." Sonic said.

Amy turned her head towards him. "About me? Why?" she asked.

Shadow snorted. "Why? Are you kidding? Did you forget about your... condition? The reason why Blaze sent Knuckles down to check if everything's alright?" he questioned.

Amy frowned. "To be honest, I don't remember a lot. I just know that I heard Eclipse crying, got out of bed and settled down with him in the rocking chairs. I thought he was hungry, so I nursed him and afterwards he was still crying. I tried to comfort him by humming the lullaby. Then, the next thing I know is you 2 standing in front of me, looking as if you had seen a ghost!" she said.

Sonic studied Amy's answer. "Maybe we did." he said, whispering.

"What was that?" Shadow asked, wanting to know.

Sonic cleared his throat. "Maybe Amy was possessed by a ghost." he said, his unsettling thoughts.

Shadow snorted again. "Yeah, sure. And we are all part of a ridiculous horror movie!" he said.

Unfortunately, Shadow didn't sound very convinced and Amy didn't say anything at all. Finally, even Eclipse calmed down and they all fell asleep.

…

Morning.

When Amy woke up the next morning, she immediately checked Sonic's temperature by brushing back his sweaty quills, pressing her left hand to his forehead. Sonic felt hot, too hot and this wasn't a good sign.

"Sonic, please wake up!" Amy said, whispering.

Sonic didn't react, so Amy shook his left shoulder with her left hand.

"Sonic!" Amy said.

Sonic groaned and tried to back away then suddenly he cried out and sat up in bed, waking Shadow as well.

"What happened?" Shadow asked and also sat up, carefully pressing a peacefully sleeping Eclipse to his chest.

"Sonic has got a temperature." Amy said while rocking a whimpering Coral.

"How's your leg, Sonic?" Shadow asked, wanting to know.

"It's okay, I think it's even better than yesterday." Sonic said but didn't sound very convincing.

Amy exchanged a look with Shadow for a moment.

"You've always been a very bad liar, Sonic." Shadow said quietly and got out of bed, walking over to the cribs, placing Eclipse in one of them then he went over to his younger brother, unceremoniously pulling back the covers with his right hand.

Amy gasped as she saw how red and raw the skin on Sonic's left thigh looked.

"Unwrap his wound, Shadow." Amy said.

Shadow tried to do as he was told, Sonic slapped his left hand away with his right hand.

"Don't touch me, Shads!" Sonic said.

"Sonic! This is not the time to be stubborn! If the wound is infected and you don't get the right treatment, you can die!" Amy said and couldn't prevent her voice from shaking. Yes, Amy was worried about her young, stubborn, and irrational husband.

Shadow's eyes widened for a moment then he grabbed his brother's leg with his right hand, starting to remove the bandage with his left hand.

"I swear, Sonic, if you slap my hand again, I will knock you unconscious to check your wound and drag you to the hospital if necessary." Shadow said.

Sonic crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not a child, Shads." he said.

"Then stop acting like one." Shadow said and when the bandage was finally gone, he gasped. "Oh my, Sonic, that looks awful!"

Amy gulped.

Although Blaze had done her best to disinfect and sew the wound, it was clearly inflamed and festering, the skin an angry dark red around the suture and there was clearly pus seeping from it.

"Shadow, go get Blaze and the others. Now!" Amy said.

Shadow nodded then he got up from the floor, stumbling towards the bedroom door.

Sonic turned towards his wife.

"What is it? It's not that bad, isn't it? Blaze can clean it and then everything will be fine, right?" Sonic asked wanting to know, frowning.

Amy just looked at Sonic at his frightened expression and felt terrible because of the things she had said to him the previous day. "Oh, Sonic." she said then embracing him carefully because she was still holding their little daughter.

"Don't worry, Amy. I'm not going to die. I'm too stubborn for that! And besides, I wouldn't want to leave you all alone, my beautiful wife, my baby daughter, my big brother, and my little nephew!" Sonic said.

Amy looked up at Sonic unbelievingly. "How...? Why...?" she asked.

Amy wanted to ask Sonic how he had figured out the paternity of the twins but failed.

Sonic smiled sadly at Amy. "Oh, I'm not stupid, in spite of what you and Shadow might think!" he said.

Amy wanted to say something, but instead she just kissed Sonic, trying to convey everything she felt for him with that kiss.

Then Shadow returned, followed by a sleepy Blaze, a confused Knuckles, a grumpy Silver, and a concerned Scourge.

"Oh my God, we need to get you to the hospital, Sonic!" Blaze said.

Shadow simply nodded. "Okay, I'll take you, Sonic! Let me just get dressed!" he said.

Amy looked at the others. "I'm going with them, so I need you to look after the babies. And by looking after them, I really mean it! Don't leave them alone for a minute, okay?" she asked.

Scourge drew his eyebrows together. "Why? What's up?" he asked, wanting to know and came over to the bed to take Coral from Amy with both hands.

Amy tried to smile reassuringly at Scourge. "It's nothing, it's just that... that I had a bad dream!" she said.

Scourge shot Amy a questioning glance but remained silent.

Blaze cleared her throat. "But you don't know how long you will be gone... What if the babies get hungry?" she asked.

Amy felt herself blushing. "I'll pump some milk so that you can give them their bottles in case they get hungry!" she said.

Suddenly there were soft cries coming from Eclipse's crib and Silver automatically tended to him, lifting him up with both hands.

Amy got up from the bed, taking all the supplies she needed for expressing milk with her with both hands then heading to the bathroom.

"Hurry up." Shadow said to Amy.

Shadow was already wearing a pair of jeans and seemed to be ready to leave.

Amy just rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was going to take a bath and do a facial, wash my quills, blow dry and straighten it... but if you insist..." she said sarcastically.

Amy could hear Sonic laugh.

"I love this woman!" Sonic said.

Amy was glad that Sonic didn't lose his humor, despite his serious condition.

Amy didn't like to use the breast pump because on the one hand, it was uncomfortable, on the other, it hurt her pride. Yet there were those occasions, like today when she had to use it in order to provide her babies with breast milk when she wasn't able to breastfeed them.

While Amy was pumping, she noticed that her body didn't produce as much milk as it used to and she made a mental note to take better care of herself.

After Amy had filled 2 bottles with breast-milk, she quickly dressed herself and left the bathroom.

Sonic was still sitting on the bed while Shadow was pacing.

"Finally!" Shadow said, went over to his younger brother and helped him up.

"Sorry, but it takes some time to express milk and I don't want to take the babies with us to the hospital too many germs!" Amy said.

Amy could see Shadow rolling his eyes but remaining quiet.

While Shadow walked his younger brother to the car, Amy left some instructions for her older twin brother and Blaze concerning Eclipse's and Coral's care, kissed her babies goodbye then she followed her husband and his younger brother.

….

30 minutes later.

Julayla Memorial Hospital.

At the hospital, they didn't have to wait long because the receptionist recognized the serious condition Sonic was in, instantly sending him to one of the doctors. Sonic's wound was seriously infected and the doctor gave him some local anesthesia so that he could reopen the suture to remove the infected tissue. After the surgery, Sonic was hooked to an IV which supplied him with fluids, antibiotics, and pain killers and he needed to stay at the hospital overnight. Amy wanted to sit with Sonic for a while before driving back to the cabin, but then she received a phone call from a frantic Blaze.

"Amy, you have to come back! Coral won't take the bottle, not from me and Knuckles nor from Scourge and Silver. She was gurgling after we could force at least some milk into her." Blaze said.

Amy got angry. "You forced-fed my daughter?" she asked in a very loud voice which caused Shadow to frown and Sonic to scowl.

"What are they doing to our babies?" Sonic asked wanting to know, trying to get out of bed but was pushed back by his older brother.

"We didn't force-feed her, I just put the rubber nipple to her lips and squeezed some drops of milk into her mouth and she was swallowing it, but then..." Blaze said trying to defend herself but was cut-off by an angry Amy.

"Please put Scourge on the phone, I need to talk to my brother." Amy said.

Blaze obeyed.

"Amy, don't be angry with Blaze, she only meant well when she tried..." Scourge said.

But Amy interrupted Scourge.

"I don't care right now. I want you to take Eclipse and Coral to my bedroom, put them into their cribs and stay with them until I get back, okay?" Amy asked.

Amy could hear that Scourge was taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, fine." Scourge said.

Amy decided that she immediately needed to go back and suggested that Shadow could stay with Sonic and she would fetch him later, but the 2 hedgehog brothers had other ideas.

"No, I'm coming with you, to give you some back up, this house is creepy enough and now we also have to deal with a bunch of idiots that can't take care of 2 little babies." Shadow said.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, he is right. I'm in good hands, but our babies aren't. I would feel better if I knew that my wife doesn't have to face those idiots alone!" he said.

Shadow briefly embraced his younger brother, pressing his forehead to Sonic's then Amy did the same, kissing him afterwards.

...

30 minutes later.

Forest Hill.

Cabin.

When they drove back to the cabin, it was without Sonic.

It turned out that Eclipse and Coral had been crying non-stop after they had left, but whereas Scourge and only Scourge could give Eclipse his bottle, Coral had flat out refused to be fed by any of them, she only drank again when Amy was nursing her.

In the end, Blaze ended up crying in the room she shared with her fiancé because there had been a small fight between her and Amy. Amy said that she would never again let Blaze take care of her babies, while Shadow filled in the others about Sonic's condition.

For the rest of the day, the atmosphere was rather tense, so they all decided to go to bed early, however, not before Scourge cautiously suggested.

"Amy, Shadow, you 2 are really exhausted, especially after all the trouble with Sonic. I think you could do with a good night's sleep. So, why don't you let Silver and me look after Coral and Eclipse tonight? We can put their cribs into our bedroom... Of course, if they won't stop crying again or refuse drinking, we will bring them immediately to you!" Scourge asked.

Amy looked unsure, but before she could refuse her older twin brother's suggestion, Shadow answered in her stead.

"I think that's a great idea, Scourge! Come, Silver, let us carry the cribs upstairs!" Shadow said.

Silver frowned but followed his older cousin.

...

40 minutes later.

Coral and Eclipse were sound asleep in Scourge and Silver's room while Shadow and Amy retreated to theirs.

The bed felt too big without Sonic in it. Maybe that was the reason why they were clinging to each other, Shadow's right arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders, Amy's head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Amy could feel Shadow's right hand stroking her back, while Amy's left hand was caressing his left thigh. At some point, Shadow and Amy got bolder, letting their hands wander underneath their clothes, touching bare skin.

Amy felt Shadow's left hand slipping into her panties, fondling her backside, whereas her right fingers were already playing with his white chest fur, his pecks, although they weren't as sensitive as Sonic's, eliciting a soft sigh from him.

In response, Shadow let his left hand wander over Amy's butt cheeks, lower and lower until she felt his fingers brushing against her already wet entrance.

"Sh-Shadow...!" Amy said, moaning.

"I want you, Rose." Shadow said whispering while he slightly pushed his left index and middle fingers inside of Amy.

"Then take me." Amy said, breathlessly.

Shadow didn't need to be told twice, flipping Amy onto her back, settling down between her legs. Amy could feel how hard Shadow already was while he crashed his lips to hers, kissing her rather aggressively. For a moment, Amy yielded to Shadow then she kissed back, fighting for dominance, yanking up his t-shirt with both hands as he was doing the same with hers, scratching her nails over his back while his hands were cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples until they ejected some milk due to arousal and stimulation.

For a moment, Shadow hesitated, then he latched onto her breasts, first the left one then the right one, tasting Amy's milk, sucking and licking the sensitive nubs, making her moan.

"I need you, Shadow, I need you inside of me!" Amy said, moaning.

Shadow let go of Amy's breasts.

Shadow and Amy quickly undressed each other after that then Amy settled down on her back again, slightly spreading her legs as Shadow knelt between them, grabbing her thighs, placing her knees onto his shoulders. Amy helped Shadow to enter her by separating her pussy while he took his cock in his right hand, positioning at her entrance, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Rose, may I?" Shadow asked.

Amy nodded and then she felt Shadow's cock stretching and filling her with one hard, deep thrust until he was buried to the hilt. Shadow and Amy both moaned, never breaking eye contact.

Then Shadow started moving, hard, fast, and deep, pressing his hands into the flesh of Amy's hips, bruising her and watching her, slightly changing the angle of penetration, brushing against that sweet spot inside of her, causing her to cry out with lust.

Amy's body was covered in sweat and she felt that she was close. Yet, when Amy let her left hand wander to her pussy to massage her clit, Shadow slapped her left hand away with his right hand.

"No, you don't need this. My cock alone will make you come!" Shadow said.

Amy only moaned in response, turned on by Shadow's words.

Shadow slightly leaned forward, and his manhood was no longer only stimulating the G-spot inside of Amy, but also rubbing against her exposed and swollen clit with every thrust, while his testicles were slapping against her womanhood.

It didn't take Amy long to climax.

"Shadow!" Amy said, screaming, raking her nails over his back until the skin broke and she was drawing blood.

When Amy's inner muscles were convulsing around him, Shadow also reached his peak, and with a shout of triumph and one last deep hard thrust, he spilled his cum inside of her, filling her with his seed.

Afterwards, Shadow collapsed on top of Amy, catching his breath while her hands were caressing his back.

"Sonic will be fine." Shadow said whispering, pressing a soft kiss to Amy's collarbone.

"I know." Amy said, burying her right hand in his wild and sweaty black and red quills.

Shadow and Amy remained like that for a while, holding each other close, caressing and kissing each other, then Shadow disentangled himself from her, rolling onto his right side of the bed. Shadow slightly winced when his back encountered the bed sheets.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked wanting to know, turning towards Shadow.

Shadow just chuckled. "I totally forgot that you turn into a wild one every time we have sex." he said.

Amy frowned. "It's about the scratching, isn't it? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." she asked, whispering.

Shadow also turned towards Amy. "It's okay." he said then he reached out his left hand and placed it onto Amy's left hip. "I also wasn't very gentle with you." referring to her bruised flesh, bearing the imprints of his fingers.

Amy gave Shadow a small smile. "I like it when you mark me during sex." she said.

Shadow grinned at Amy. "See? And I like it when you mark me!" he asked then he spread a blanket over them with his left hand.

Shadow and Amy fell asleep soon after.

* * *

End of Chapter 6.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

Most people in their usual outfits.

...

Forest Hill.

Cabin.

Morning.

When Shadow woke up the next morning, he was alone in bed. For a moment Shadow wondered where Amy had disappeared to then he could hear the shower in the bathroom running and smiled to himself. Of course Amy would already be up and about.

So Shadow stretched, wincing slightly because the movement put a strain on the healing skin on his back then he rolled over to bury his face in Amy's pillow, inhaling her wonderful scent but just as he propped himself up on his hands in order to get up, he noticed something on the sheets on Amy's side of the bed. Something that made Shadow frown and anger rising up in his throat.

There, amidst the tell-tale stains of Shadow and Amy's intermingled juices, he could clearly see blood.

In an instant Shadow was out of bed and headed towards the connecting door to their bathroom, entering it without knocking. Behind the shower curtain, Shadow could clearly make out Amy's figure and paused.

"Rose?" Shadow asked in order to catch Amy attention and was successful.

Amy turned off the running water with her left hand and peeked out from behind the shower curtain.

"Shadow? What's wrong?" Amy asked and looked up at worriedly at Shadow.

Shadow crossed his arms in front of his chest and studied Amy for a moment. Amy's face looked calm and relaxed, there was no anger towards Shadow.

_"How could Rose not be angry with me? I had hurt her, had made her bleed! If Sonic ever found out, he would certainly kill me."_ Shadow thought.

Shadow decided to be straightforward. "There's blood on the bed sheets. I hurt you last night! Why didn't you tell me to stop? I'm so, so sorry! I know Sonic told me to be gentle with you and yet I wasn't! I'm not any better than that bastard Mephiles... I-!" he asked worried but was cut off, but Amy interrupted him.

"Stop it! Don't compare yourself to that monster, you are nothing like him!" Amy said.

Amy grabbed a towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around her body with both hands and stepped out of the shower, coming over to Shadow.

"But I made you bleed!" Shadow said flinching when Amy grabbed his biceps with both hands.

"That can happen, nothing to worry about." Amy said, searching Shadow's eyes then she smiled, cupping his face between her hands and stood up on her tippy toes, kissing him sweetly.

"Nevertheless, I think we should change the sheets now and put a towel underneath next time." Amy said.

Shadow sighed, calming slowly down after his initial shock. Amy was fine, she had said so herself.

"Yeah, you are right." Shadow said, after taking in Amy's fresh and clean scent. "Are you done in here? Can I take a shower now?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, I'm done. And you are definitely in need of a shower. But hurry up! You know that we want to go to the hospital in order to bring Sonic back home!" she said and left Shadow alone in the bathroom.

Shadow enjoyed the hot spray of the water on his body, except when it came in touch with the scratches on his back and spines, a reminder of his night with Amy. Carefully Shadow cleaned his back and spines, wincing slightly. Maybe Shadow should ask Amy to take a look at them in case they were inflamed.

...

15 minutes later.

Shadow emerged the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips and entered their bedroom. While getting properly dressed, Shadow heard a commotion in the corridor. Sighing, Shadow exited the bedroom to check what was going on and almost ran into Knuckles and Blaze who were obviously having an argument.

"We can't just leave like that, it's impolite! And, by the way, I would like to stay." Knuckles said while clutching Blaze's left arm with his right arm.

"Then stay! I didn't tell you to come with me, we don't need to do everything together." Blaze said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Knuckles seemed to be flabbergasted. "But I'm your fiancé!" he said.

Blaze shrugged. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we have to be like attached at the hip!" she said then freed her left arm from Knuckles's grip and turned around, coming face to face with Shadow, which seemed to startle her.

"Hey, Blaze." Shadow said to Blaze with a uneven grin.

Blaze pressed her right hand over her heart. "I didn't notice you were listening in on us." she said and tried to get past him, but Shadow held her back.

"Woah, I wasn't listening in on you, but I involuntarily overheard your conversation with Knuckles. Do you think it wise to do a moonlight flight, without saying goodbye to your friends?" Shadow asked and was taken aback by the hostility in Blaze's gold eyes.

"First of all, it's not a moonlight flight, because the sun is already shining, second I don't think that my friends would give a damn about me saying goodbye or not and third let go of my arm! You have lost every right to touch me since..." Blaze said but interrupted herself, freeing herself from Shadow.

Shadow frowned. "Since?" he questioned.

Taking a deep breath, Blaze lowered her gaze. Blaze seemed to be fighting with herself, whether she should answer Shadow's question or not. For a moment, Shadow believed that Blaze would remain quiet, but then she looked him straight in the eyes, squaring her shoulders.

"Since you turned me down 5 years ago! Remember? I felt so cheap afterwards, practically begging you to fuck me but apparently I wasn't good enough for you! Of course I wasn't, only sluts make it into your bed!" Blaze questioned.

Immediately, Shadow let go of Blaze's left arm with his right hand and Blaze stormed off. Shadow could hear Knuckles gasp in shock before running after Blaze.

"Blaze!" Knuckles said yelling, running after Blaze.

"Was she talking about me?" Amy asked.

Shadow flinched as he hadn't noticed Amy coming down the stairs, pressing Eclipse against her chest, tears running down her cheeks.

"Of course not! She is angry with me, that's all!" Shadow said frowning then tentatively reaching out his right hand towards Amy.

Amy came over to him hesitantly. "I thought she was my friend, I trusted her with my secrets, with my babies, and now I have to find out that she despised me!" she said.

To Shadow's horror, Amy started sobbing, which, of course unsettled Coral, who instantly started crying. Shadow observed for a moment whom to console first.

_"Where are Silver and Scourge, when I need them?"_ Shadow thought then he got his answer.

"What did you do to her?" Scourge asked.

It was Scourge, standing at the top of the stairs, holding a crying Eclipse in his arms.

"Honestly? I didn't do anything to her, I never would!" Shadow said angrily.

This day seemed to turn into one of the worst days of Shadow's life.

"But she is crying! My sister almost never cries!" Scourge said while coming down the stairs.

Scourge really looked intimidating with that glare on his face, towering over Shadow.

"Calm down, Scourge, he really didn't do anything, except from not fucking Blaze, which in turn is the reason that she hates me!" Amy said.

Scourge seemed to be confused. "Excuse me, what? It doesn't make any sense, Ames!" he said.

Amy wiped away her tears with her right hand, rocking Coral slightly in order to calm the baby girl hoglet down.

"Oh, it all makes perfectly sense now." Amy said whispering then she turned on her heel and went into their bedroom.

For a moment, Shadow and Scourge glared at each other then Shadow reached out his arms.

"Can I have my son, please? I need to get him ready, Rose and I are heading over to the hospital to get Sonic and we don't want to leave the babies behind."

Scourge hesitated then he pressed a soft kiss to Eclipse's forehead before handing him over to Shadow. Eclipse stopped crying immediately, looking at Shadow with crimson red eyes but Amy's shape.

Shadow couldn't help but smile. "Hey, little prince, you just missed your Dad, didn't you?" he asked.

Eclipse yawned, kicking his chubby arms and legs and Shadow suddenly felt so much love for this little bundle of life in his arms that it totally overwhelmed him.

"I will never let anything bad happen to you, I swear." Shadow said whispering and kissed the baby hedgehog boy's forehead.

Eclipse reached out his tiny right hand, grabbing one of Shadow's black and red quills, still wet from the shower.

"I'm sorry." Scourge said, whispering.

Shadow winced as he had completely forgotten, that Amy's brother was still with him in the corridor. That corridor. Involuntarily Shadow felt a shiver running down his spine. Shadow and Amy should leave.

"No problem. I can understand that you are protective of your sister. I'm also protective of Sonic, you know!" Shadow said.

Scourge sighed. "Yes, overprotective, I would say." he said.

Shadow chuckled. "Likewise!" he said while trying to free his quills from Eclipse's grip with his right hand, without any success.

"Hey, Eclipse, can you please unhand my quills? It's attached to my head and I can't remove us from this god damned corridor if you don't let go." Shadow asked.

"You... feel it too?" Scourge asked unbelievingly.

Shadow nodded. "Yes. There's something unsettling about it, but I can't say why." he said.

Scourge didn't answer but walked over to Shadow. "Let me help you." he said, first pushing Shadow's right hand away then gently stroking over Eclipse's right hand with his left hand until the baby hedgehog boy opened his right fist, releasing Shadow's quills.

"Thank you." Shadow said.

Scourge genuinely smiled at Shadow.

Shadow couldn't help but smile back.

"You're welcome." Scourge said.

Someone cleared his throat from the top of the stairs.

It was Silver.

"Do you 2 need a room or something?" Silver asked acidly.

Scourge rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Oh, please, Silver, I'm not in the mood for one of your fits of jealousy." he said then he stormed into the living room.

Shadow could see Silver glaring at him but decided to ignore it. There had already been too much fighting for one morning. Instead Silver followed Scourge into the living room only to find him sitting on one of the couches, next to a crying Knuckles.

"What happened?" Scourge asked.

"She's gone, Shadow. She took my minivan and simply drove off, after throwing that in front of my feet." Knuckles said sobbing, extending a shaking right hand, uncurling his fingers only to reveal something shiny.

A ring. A delicate, white gold band with a heart-shaped diamond. Blaze's engagement ring.

…

Forest Hill.

Sitting in her fiancé's- ex-fiancé's- minivan, driving on a bumpy road through the woods, Blaze tried to understand what had gotten into her. Never had she been so angry with anyone. Those were Blaze's friends.

Blaze had known Shadow and Sonic since her 13th birthday when her father's dealings with the Hedgehog family started and they had always been like big brothers to her. Therefore, a part of Blaze understood why Shadow had turned her down when she had made her intentions towards him clear, to him, she was like a little sister.

Yet it had hurt when Shadow had told Blaze that he wouldn't sleep with her, even after she had offered that she wouldn't mind including Sonic since she had known that the 2 hedgehog brothers were inseparable and tended to share girls and then poor Knuckles!

Knuckles had always been kind to Blaze, comforting her when she had been pining after Shadow, who had made clear that he didn't like her like that.

So, Knuckles and Blaze had become friends then lovers, even though Blaze had never felt for Knuckles the way she had felt for Shadow it was still feeling for him, actually. Yet Knuckles was totally in love with Blaze and she knew it wasn't fair to use him as a substitute for the man she couldn't have, wouldn't have.

Of course, Blaze liked Knuckles, she really did but she wasn't in love with him.

Maybe it had been a mistake to accept Knuckles's proposal, especially under these circumstances. Knuckles deserved better than Blaze, throwing her engagement ring at his feet, stealing his minivan. What was wrong with her?

Yet the strangest thing was that Blaze didn't feel as angry now as she had felt when she had left the cabin, so as if driving through the woods was calming her down. Maybe that was the reason Scourge and Amy liked to go hiking, the woods could have a soothing effect on you.

Amy, Blaze's first and only female friend. Amy with her beautiful pink quills, her gorgeous jade green eyes, and her beautiful face. Amy, who had been nothing but kind to Blaze since they had met for the first time.

Blaze knew that she had involuntarily insulted the hedgehog woman when she had said to Shadow that only sluts made it into his bed but Amy wasn't a slut. Blaze didn't understand where her sudden burst of jealousy had come from but she understood that she would have to beg the others for forgiveness because she had screwed up.

Therefore, Blaze decided to turn around and drive back to the cabin. Yes, that was the right decision, especially since Blaze didn't take anything with her, not her clothes, or cosmetics, not her purse or her mobile phone.

So, stepping on the brakes Blaze stopped the van then she put the car into reverse to make a U-turn, but while she was driving backwards, she somehow lost control of the vehicle and the minivan drove straight into the ditch along the road, even hitting a tree.

Fortunately, nothing had happened to Blaze but the car was damaged and she couldn't get it out of the ditch.

Blaze hit the steering wheel with both hands, angry with herself. It was clear that Blaze would have to leave the van here and walk back to the cabin. So, she got out of the car, walked to its booth and took out the advance warning triangle to put it on the road so that other vehicles wouldn't drive into Knuckles's van.

Since Blaze couldn't call anyone, she considered waiting for another car driving by perhaps it would even be Shadow and Amy since they wanted to go to the hospital in order to get Sonic, but Blaze wasn't sure if she had taken the right roads. Thinking about it, Blaze couldn't remember anything from her drive out here, since she had been constantly looking at the map while reading out Amy's instructions to Knuckles.

So, Blaze's only option was to walk back to the cabin.

After placing the advance warning triangle on the road, Blaze started walking into the direction she had come from. Blaze knew that it would take her a while to get back to the cabin and her friends but she didn't have any other choice.

While walking on the road, Blaze couldn't help but feeling watched.

Wrapping her arms around her, Blaze tried to ignore it telling herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. Yet, somehow it was unsettling to be the only cat being around here, especially since Amy had told them about the wild wolves and rabid foxes roaming the woods, not to forget the mountain lions which were not native to the area but had somehow managed to settle down here. But as long as Blaze kept to the main road, she was fine, wasn't she?

Blaze didn't know how long she had been following the road in the opposite direction she had driven down it before, when she noticed a young blonde hedgehog woman standing in the undergrowth, beckoning her to come over.

At first, Blaze couldn't believe her eyes. So, Blaze blinked several times but the woman was still standing there in her long white sleeveless dress, her long blonde quills falling over her shoulders. Blaze had to admit that she had at first believed the apparition to be the blonde version of Amy but then she understood that this couldn't be the case.

Yet the young blonde hedgehog woman seemed to be very insistent on Blaze coming over to her.

Could she trust this stranger? Blaze wasn't sure, but somehow, she seemed to be unable to resist the pull. Maybe this woman knew a short cut through the woods.

Blaze decided to throw caution to the winds and walked directly towards the mysterious, blonde hedgehog woman, standing in the undergrowth.

…

Later than initially planned, Shadow and Amy were on their way to the hospital, together with little Eclipse and Coral.

Shadow had tried to call his younger brother on his mobile to inform him about the delay, only to hear Sonic's ringtone coming from the bedroom, the little idiot had apparently forgotten to take his phone with him to the hospital. Well, then it was Sonic's fault that he would have to wait for them without knowing what was going on.

Amy was driving since it was her car, while Shadow sat in the passenger seat which was much more comfortable than being wedged between 2 baby carriers in the backseat, like he had been on their drive to the cabin 3 days ago, and the little ones were sleeping peacefully.

Shadow could feel his mood getting better and better the more distance they put between themselves and the cabin. Shadow didn't know why, but somehow the atmosphere in the cabin made him feel uneasy, depressed, and aggressive but not only him, as it had turned out.

Scourge had confessed to sensing this gloomy atmosphere as well and Silver's jealously, or Blaze's anger, were certainly also caused by it. Not to mention the incident with Amy 2 nights ago, when she was sitting in that rocking chair, clutching little Eclipse while claiming to not being Amy. Shadow could still feel a shiver running down his spine when he thought about the sound of her voice, the expression in her eyes and this hadn't been the only incident.

Shadow thought back to the night before when he and Amy had sex the intention of it had been to find comfort in each other to forget their worries about Sonic. Yet, it somehow had gotten out of control to the point where Shadow and Amy had hurt each other. Yes, it was true that they liked it rough, but never had Amy scratched Shadow's back that badly that he could still feel her marks the next day and never had he made her bleed, although she had claimed that it was okay, nothing to worry about. Shadow could still feel his stomach churning when he thought about the blood on the sheets.

"Do you see that?" Amy asked, raising Shadow from his thoughts.

"Sorry?" Shadow asked, looking at Amy totally confused.

Amy smiled while keeping her eyes on the road, she never let something else catch her attention while driving, something Shadow admired her for.

"The advance warning triangle. And the blue minivan in the ditch." Amy said.

"What?" Shadow asked.

Shadow's attention was focused on the road ahead. Squinting his eyes, Shadow tried to make out what was ahead of them, as much as Shadow hated to admit it, Amy's eyes were much better than his.

Yes, Amy was right. There was something blue in the ditch, half hidden in the tree line. Upon drawing near, it became clear that it was a minivan. A blue minivan, just like Knuckles's.

"Oh my god, Rose! Do you think it's the van Blaze has driven off with?" Shadow asked.

Amy shrugged. "I'm not sure... but what are the odds that there was another van like this driving down this road today?" she asked, stopping the car.

As soon as Shadow read the license plates, he knew that this was Knuckles's minivan.

"Oh, shit." Shadow said, getting out of the car.

"Blaze?" Shadow asked, approaching Knuckles's van.

When Shadow reached the driver seat's door he opened it with his right hand, afraid of what he would find but then when he found the car empty, he felt relieved. A part of Shadow had feared that Blaze might have been injured in the accident.

"Is she okay?" Amy asked behind Shadow, almost giving him a heart attack because he didn't notice her approaching him until he heard her voice.

"Rose, do you want to kill me? Don't sneak up on me like that." Shadow asked clutching his chest over his heart with his right hand, completely ignoring Amy's question.

Yet Amy ignored Shadow's comment as well.

"She isn't here. Where is she?" Amy asked wanting to know so as if she expected Shadow to know the answer.

"Maybe she tries to walk to the next town." Shadow said, shielding his eyes from the sun with his left hand, looking ahead.

Of course, Shadow didn't see anything except from the stretch of road, meandering through the forest.

"And what if she is hurt? What if something has happened to her?" Amy asked.

Shadow shrugged. "The best thing would be we get back into the car and follow the road. Maybe we can catch up with her." he said.

"Shadow, I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling." Amy said.

Shadow wrapped his right arm around Amy's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'm sure we will find her soon... But first I'll call the rangers so that they can take care of the van. Poor Knuckles! He loved this thing." he said, pulling his mobile out of his right jeans pocket with his right hand but when he looked at the screen, he frowned. "I have no reception. And you, Rose?" he glanced expectantly at Amy.

Amy sighed and took her phone out with her left hand then she shook her head. "Me neither. What shall we do?" she asked.

Shadow shrugged. "It would be best to really drive to town. There we have reception and can call the rangers. And who knows, maybe we even run across Blaze." he said.

Amy took a deep breath then nodded. "Yeah, you are right." she said before walking back towards her car, unlocking the doors with her right hand, checking on the babies, they were still sleeping peacefully.

For a moment Shadow wondered why Amy had locked the car when there was no one else around, but then he remembered her telling them how dangerous the forest was, that there were wild animals roaming the woods. Well, maybe they were even able to open car doors.

"Shadow? Let's go, okay?" Amy asked before getting into the car.

Shadow complied.

…

Sonic was nervous as his older brother and his wife had promised to come and get him at 10 a.m. and now it was almost 11 a.m.

Sonic's first impulse was to call Shadow and Amy but then he noticed that for some reason he had forgotten to bring his phone with him. A part of Sonic was angry with himself for being so inconsiderate, the other part with Shadow for not asking him if he had everything he needed.

Shadow always looked out for Sonic, only this time he obviously hadn't. Maybe because Shadow had been too distracted by his little brother having a seriously infected wound or by the prospect of having his younger brother's wife all to himself for one night.

_"Whoa, where did that thought come from?"_ Sonic thought.

Never before had Sonic felt jealous when Shadow had spent some alone time with Amy, which had admittedly rarely been the case. Amy belonged to both Shadow and Sonic, their babies were proof to that.

Sonic had already hinted as much when calling Coral his daughter and Eclipse his nephew while talking to Amy. Of course, without any DNA testing it was all just speculation, but a part of Sonic was convinced that Shadow had sired the dark red and black quilled and crimson red eyed Eclipse while Coral with her emerald green eyes and purple quills was his daughter through and through. Sonic didn't know why, but he had always been good at predicting those kinds of things.

On the other hand, somewhere Sonic had read that a spermatozoon carrying the X-chromosome was more resilient than the one with the Y-chromosome. Since Shadow had always been the first one to have Amy, it was likely that one of his little swimmers carrying the Y-chromosome had been the first one to meet with one of her fertile eggs, while Sonic's turn had been later.

Not to mention that fraternal twins didn't have to be conceived at the same time, sometimes the mother was ovulating again after a couple of hours or days. Maybe that was the reason he had a daughter, not a son. If Amy had been ovulating again after her first positive ovulation test, it was only logical that one of Sonic's spermatozoons carrying an X-chromosome had hit its mark later, so to speak, since they hadn't had sex daily.

Yet no one seemed to consider that Sonic could do his homework and it didn't matter, though, at least not to him.

"Mr. The Hedgehog? How is your wrist?" a young nurse asked, rousing Sonic from his thoughts.

She was very petite and pretty orange mouse with long light-blond hair tied in a mid-ponytail, and big blue eyes.

Sonic smiled at her. "Oh, much better since it's been put in a plaster cast and you increased the dose of my pain killers." he said.

The orange mouse nurse giggled, blushing slightly. "Well, it was Doctor. Chu who diagnosed that your wrist was cracked and prescribed the higher dose of pain medication, but thank you! By the way, do you need anything?" she asked slightly breathless, batting her eyelashes.

Sonic noticed that the orange mouse nurse was flirting with him. Sonic felt a pang of guilt, thinking of Amy who had been so worried about him, who now had to take care of the babies all by herself. Wait, Amy wasn't all by herself. Shadow and the others were there as well. Yet it wouldn't be fair to give the orange mouse nurse hopes of a hook up when Sonic was already taken and he had no intention of ever being unfaithful to Amy.

"No, thank you, I'm fine. My wife will soon be here to take me home." Sonic said.

The orange mouse nurse looked sad. "Oh, you're married? I wouldn't have guessed, you are so young..." she asked.

Sonic chucked. "Thank you, but I'm already 26 and I have 2 kids." he said.

The orange mouse nurse bit her lip and nodded. "Well, that's good to hear." she said but her voice sounded bitter.

"Hey, don't worry, such a kind and pretty young woman like you will certainly find someone soon." Sonic said to the orange mouse nurse because he didn't like it when people were sad and this nurse was obviously sad and lonely.

"You are very nice, Mr. The Hedgehog." the orange mouse nurse and smiled at him.

Sonic reciprocated the smile.

Of course, this was the moment when Amy chose to enter his room with little Coral in her apple red baby carrier.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something?" Amy asked, clearing her throat.

Sonic growled while the orange mouse nurse whipped around, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Amy.

"Of course not, darling, Nurse... Mirai just asked if I needed anything." Sonic asked, quickly reading the nurse's name tag.

Mirai had introduced herself earlier this morning but at that time Sonic had been too distracted by the throbbing and dull pain in his left wrist. To be honest the nasty wound on Sonic's left thigh had provided enough distraction for the last 2 days so that he had completely forgotten about his injured left wrist. Until this morning, when Sonic had trouble holding his cup of coffee and noticed that his right wrist was swollen to almost twice the size of his left one.

Mirai cleared her throat. "All right, Mr. The Hedgehog, if you don't need anything else... I will send in Dr. Chu so that she can condone your leaving the hospital today. " she said and almost fled the room without looking at Amy, who still looked slightly pissed.

Sonic tried to use his famous charms on Amy. "What's wrong, darling? No kiss hello?" he asked suggestively.

Amy only rolled her eyes, placing the infant carrier on the table in Sonic's room, making sure that Coral was still sound asleep before coming over to Sonic's bed.

"I get the impression that you had a really good time here with Nurse Mirai." Amy said sarcastically.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Ames, I only got to know that nurse this morning when I almost dropped my cup of coffee because my wrist hurt like hell... Actually, I had totally forgotten about this injury until then... But now it's all fixed, see?" he asked.

Sonic lifted his left arm to present his cast. "What do you say? You can be the first one to sign it? You know, you would make a dream come true with that when I was 13, I broke my right forearm and had to wear a cast as well. My biggest dream then had been that the queen bee of our school would sign it, yet she totally ignored me and the only ones willing to sign it had been Shadow, Mom, my uncles, Knuckles, and Silver. Shadow even offered to fake another handwriting and sign the cast with a girl's name to cheer me up, but I refused." he said.

To Sonic's surprise, Amy smiled at this.

"Well, then you are asking the wrong girl: I've never been the queen bee at school." Amy said.

Sonic raised his eyebrows. "What? Are you serious? Have your classmates all been blind?" he asked.

Amy chuckled and Sonic felt relieved then Amy tenderly took his left hand with both hands, regarding the cast with a serious expression.

"To be honest, I totally forgot about your wrist as well." Amy said.

It seemed that Amy had forgiven Sonic but then he frowned because something was missing.

"Amy? Where are Shadow and Eclipse?" Sonic asked, wanting to know.

Amy sat down on the right side of Sonic's bed, taking a deep breath. "Shadow is talking to the police..." she said, starting to explain but was interrupted by Sonic.

"What? Did anything happen? Is he all right?" Sonic asked worriedly, sitting up in bed.

Amy touched Sonic's left forearm with her left hand, obviously to calm Sonic down. "Yes, he is fine, as is Eclipse who is with him, by the way. But something happened at the cabin this morning..." she said.

Sonic wanted to interrupt Amy again but she gestured him to stay silent, so he waited patiently for her to continue.

"There was a huge fight between Knuckles and Blaze and she drove off with his van. Then, on our way here, Shadow and I found the van at the side of the road without any trace of Blaze. Since we didn't have reception in the woods, we needed to get into the next town. There we called the rangers about the crashed van and about Blaze missing and they said that they would start a search and rescue, but that we should also contact the police because the van had obviously been involved in some kind of accident and it is unclear what has happened to Blaze." Amy said.

Sonic nodded, feeling worried because one of his friends a girl he loved like a sister has had an accident and was missing but he felt also a little bit disappointed because his older brother and his son were not with him now. Sonic already missed Shadow and Eclipse. Thinking about it, Sonic realized that he had never been separated from Shadow for such a long time.

…

Forest Hill.

When Blaze found herself in the middle of the woods, she knew it had been a bad idea to follow the ghostly apparition. Maybe Blaze had hit her head on the steering wheel when her van had collided with one of the trees and now she was simply hallucinating.

No, not her van, Knuckles's van, which Blaze had stolen after being really mean to him and now she would never have an opportunity to apologize to him since she didn't know where she was or how to get back to her friends.

_"Why didn't I stick to the road where I would have been found eventually?"_ Blaze thought.

Blaze knew why because of the blonde hedgehog woman who had beckoned her into the woods, the woman that had reminded her of Amy.

Of course, Blaze should have known that something was off because that woman was not dressed like a hiker, her long, white dress looked rather like a wedding dress. Yet more disturbing was the fact that this dress remained immaculately white although they were carving their way through the thicket. Blaze's own clothing, burgundy capris and a sleeveless blouse in indigo blue, were already torn and dirty due to the brambles, the skin on her exposed shanks and arms was full of scratches, leaves, and twigs stuck to her lavender fur she had pulled together in half-up, like the hairstyle Amy almost always wore.

Blaze remembered Sonic's injury after he had run into the woods 2 days ago, the tear in his left thigh that had bled badly and which she had cleaned, sewed, and dressed and although she had washed her hands several times afterwards, she still had found the residue of his blood beneath her nails the next morning.

Fresh tears welled up in Blaze's eyes when she thought back to this day. Not only because Blaze now feared to never see her friends or family again or because she was afraid that if she found her way back, her friends would reject her, but also because she remembered how good it had felt to hold little Eclipse and Coral in her arms. Although they weren't her children, Blaze wasn't even related to them she felt so much love for the babies and then Amy had told her only yesterday that she would never again let Blaze take care of them again. This statement had really hurt Blaze, especially since she hadn't done anything wrong. Blaze had just tried to get Coral to feed. However, it appeared that Amy was quite overprotective of her children.

On the other hand, Blaze could understand that, considering the fact that the other woman had already lost a child.

However, Amy should have trusted her friend, Blaze, the nurse. Eclipse and Coral weren't the first babies Blaze took care of. At the age of 10, she had already helped her sick mother to tend to her baby sister, Sticks. Later, when her mother had gotten worse and needed to be institutionalized, she had completely taken care of a 2 year old Sticks, at least in the afternoons and evenings. Blaze's father had paid a middle-aged squirrel woman living in the neighborhood who had run her own business to look after Sticks until Blaze had come home from school.

Blaze had always fetched her sister from their neighbor and had taken her home, playing with her, changing her diapers feeding her fruit and cookies and milk, until Wild Cat had also arrived home after school, he usually went to football practice or his chess club, when he was not staying at a friend's, that is then it had been her task to prepare dinner for the family while Wild Cat would look after Sticks, sometimes even unintentionally annoying her so that the little girl would come running into the kitchen, crying and clutching at Blaze's legs who tried to heat up some soup or macaroni and cheese so that her father, her siblings, and she would have something to fill their bellies with when their Dad would come home from his double shift at the local supermarket.

Blaze's life hadn't been an easy one so far, yet she had loved every second of it since in her opinion there was nothing more valuable than Sticks's happy smile as a toddler when Blaze had come to get her at their neighbor's or Wild Cat's grateful expression as she had signed one of his class tests, pretending to be their mother, when he had gotten a bad grade in math and had been too afraid to tell their Dad, not because he had feared some kind of punishment but because he couldn't stand the thought that their father would be disappointed in him.

And it was only due to these memories that Blaze didn't give up now. Blaze needed to find a way out of the woods, and somehow she was sure that this wouldn't be the case if she kept following that woman.

Blaze abruptly stopped dead in her tracks, taking in her surroundings. There were several hiking trails leading through this forest, so it must be possible to come across one of them at some point.

"Come!" a piercing voice sounded in her head and Blaze winced, almost immediately looking back to the blonde hedgehog woman in the white dress. To Blaze's surprise, the blonde hedgehog woman had somehow approached her and was standing only an arm's length away from her but something was wrong with her appearance, she didn't seem to be solid.

Blaze's heart stopped as she didn't believe in ghosts, yet there was no way that this blonde hedgehog woman was real, like her. Instinctively, Blaze took a step back, shaking her head vehemently.

"No." Blaze said, whispering.

Suddenly the blonde hedgehog woman's facial features changed, became distorted as she no longer looked beautiful but rather frightening and Blaze decided then and there that she needed to get away from this woman.

Blaze immediately turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction, not caring about vines almost making her trip or branches whipping her face. Blaze didn't dare to turn around to find out if the blonde hedgehog woman's ghost was still following her, she just kept running until she reached a small clearing. There Blaze stopped to catch her breath and look around. The apparition was obviously gone.

Blaze flopped down onto the ground, lying down in the grass, feeling relieved about having been able to escape the blonde hedgehog woman's ghost yet still being concerned about the fact that she got lost in the woods.

…

Julayla Memorial Hospital.

30 minutes after Amy's arrival at the hospital, she was already helping her husband into her car. His doctor, a very thin and stern looking, middle aged light green rabbit woman with short fur and thick glasses had given her okay for Sonic leaving the hospital, prescribing some antibiotics, painkillers and antiseptic ointment, giving instructions about changing the bandages 2 times a day and applying the ointment and telling him to come back in 2 days because his injury still needed to be monitored.

"Are we now driving to the police station to get Shadow?" Sonic asked when Amy got into the driver's seat of her car.

"Of course." Amy said. "Do you think we would leave him here, together with little Eclipse?"

Sonic chuckled. "No, of course not. You know what, I can't wait to see him again well, and Eclipse. It felt so strange being separated from you all for almost 24 hours." he said.

Amy smiled at Sonic. "Yeah, we missed you too!" she said.

Sonic frowned. "Really?" asked, his voice sounded so surprised that Amy took his left hand into her right hand.

Only then Amy noticed something she hadn't noticed before in the hospital. Sonic wasn't wearing his wedding band.

"Where's your ring?" Amy asked sharply.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh shit! I had to take it off for the x-rays this morning. I think it must still be in the pocket of my sweatpants where I have put it." he said, frantically searching his right pocket with his right hand.

"You think? Sonic! Have you forgotten how much we have paid for those rings? They are custom-made, textured damask steel and titanium rings, not to mention the unusual engraving! You have to be kidding me!" Amy questioned.

"Stop nagging, it's here all right!" Sonic said, fishing the precious ring out of his right pocket and presenting it to Amy with his right hand. After putting it on his left hand, Sonic grinned deviously at Amy. "By the way, yours was more expensive than mine or Shadow's since yours is also adorned with a diamond!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "You insisted on the diamond for my ring and were willing to pay the additional 207 dollars for the 0.03 carat white brilliant. For me, the diamond on my engagement ring was already enough." she said.

Sonic shrugged. "Well, I thought this way the wedding band would fit perfectly to your engagement ring with the star-shaped diamond for you are my star our star, Shadow's and mine and will always guide us home, like the North Star!" he said.

Shaking her head, Amy giggled. "Oh my, I think you might have overdosed on your painkillers!" she said then she started the car's engine, left the hospital's parking lot, and drove onto the main road.

...

10 minutes later.

Police Station.

After parking her car, Amy helped Sonic getting out of the passenger seat then she opened the door to the car's back seat, taking out Coral in her baby carrier before the 3 of them, Sonic leaning heavily on Amy's left shoulder while she was also carrying their little daughter, made their way into the police station.

Shadow was already waiting for them, sitting in one of the plastic chairs they provided there, rocking his crying son in his arms while the sapphire blue baby carrier was placed in the chair next to him, on his left.

"Shadow!" Sonic said, freeing himself from Amy and half running, half stumbling to his older brother, sitting heavily down in the chair to Shadow's right, throwing his arms around the older male hedgehog.

"Oh, Sonic!" Shadow said.

Shadow reciprocated the embrace with his right arm while still holding little Eclipse, pressing his forehead to his younger brothers then, to everyone's surprise, Sonic briefly pecked Shadow's lips, totally ignoring the disapproving snort coming from the police officer sitting at the reception desk.

Shadow cleared his throat. "What was that for, Sonic?" he asked.

Amy chuckled. "Well, I think he just overdosed on his painkillers." she said, walking over to the 2 hedgehog brothers and her son.

Shadow smiled at Amy. "Time to go home?" he asked.

Amy nodded. "Yes, let's go home... By the way, what will they do about Blaze?" she asked.

Shadow sighed. "First, they will tow the minivan to this station. Then, the police will join forces with the rangers in order to find Blaze in the woods..." he said then interrupted himself, frowning.

Amy drew her eyebrows together, sitting down in the chair next to Sonic on the right side, putting the baby carrier on the floor between her feet with both hands, looking at Shadow.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked, wanting to know.

Shadow sighed. "The police mentioned that Blaze might have gotten into another car, someone who drove by the site of the accident, offering her to take her to the next town... Somebody with bad intentions." he said.

Hearing about this possibility, Amy's stomach dropped. Yes, there had been some dissensions between Amy and the other, younger woman, but Blaze was still her friend, even though the girl was obviously desperate for being fucked by Shadow but Amy didn't want to let her thoughts wander into that direction.

"I hope they'll find her soon, safe and sound." Amy said.

"Me too." Sonic said then he took Eclipse from his older brother's arm, kissing the baby's forehead. Immediately, Eclipse calmed down.

"Ha! See? He likes me better than you, Shads." Sonic said.

Shadow simply rolled his eyes but then he frowned. "Why are you wearing a cast on your wrist?" he asked.

Apparently, Shadow had also forgotten about this injury and so Sonic told the whole story about almost dropping his coffee again. Amy couldn't help but smile at her little family. Yes, this was Amy's own little family and she loved them dearly.

"Let's go home." Amy said, grabbed Eclipse's baby carrier with both hands, and stood up

Sonic looked at Amy with a raised eyebrow. "Home? Or back to the cabin?" he asked, wanting to know.

Amy sighed. "Of course I mean back to the cabin. We are supposed to be on our honeymoon." she said.

Sonic snorted. "Yeah, some kind of honeymoon!" he said then he passed Eclipse back to his older brother with both hands, who put the infant into his baby boy hoglet carrier before following Amy's example of getting ready to leave, carrying his son in the baby carrier with right hand, supporting his younger brother with the other.

…

1 hour later.

On their way back to the cabin, Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had to stop 3 times.

The first time was still in town because they needed to get Sonic's medicine and Amy also remembered that they had to buy supplies for the next couple of days since the things they had brought with them on this trip were almost all gone by now. So, while Shadow and Amy went to the pharmacist and afterwards did some grocery shopping, Sonic stayed in the car with the babies. Sonic had even insisted on sitting between the baby carriers on the back seat because he had really missed their son and their daughter, although it wasn't quite comfortable for him with his injured left leg.

The second time was when they passed a gas station on the country road on their way to the forest because Amy's car needed refueling and Sonic needed to use the bathroom. Shadow helped Sonic to get out of the car and accompanied him to the men's lavatory in case Sonic needed assistance due to his handicaps, the cracked wrist, and injured left leg, while Amy filled up her car.

The third time was after they had entered the forest because the babies got hungry and needed to be fed. Again, Amy noticed that her milk supply was decreasing since the baby hoglets were suckling at her nipples rather aggressively so that it slightly hurt and Eclipse and Coral were pressing their little hands against her breasts as if they tried to squeeze more milk out of them and then they still appeared to be hungry after feeding, crying and fussing.

It was no wonder, however, because over the last couple of days, Amy had forgotten to take her supplements regularly and not eaten enough and thinking about not taking the supplements regularly left her with a bad feeling, almost as if she had forgotten something else. Maybe Amy should have bought some formula in the supermarket, just to be on the safe side.

For a moment, Amy considered telling her husbands that they needed to drive back to town, but after one glance at Sonic, she decided against it. Sonic still looked sick, his face pale and there were dark circles beneath his eyes and driving back to town would cost them another 45 minutes to an hour. So, Amy just had to take better care of herself, eat regularly, drink more especially water and her special tea for breastfeeding moms and let her babies latch onto her breasts more often.

"What's wrong with them?" Shadow asked, gesturing towards the crying and fussing baby hoglets.

Amy sighed. "I fear I'm not producing enough milk to feed them properly." she said.

Shadow frowned. "Are you sure? What shall we do?" he asked wanting to know, taking Eclipse from Amy holding the baby close to his chest, rocking him gently.

It appeared as if being near his dad was calming Eclipse down for now.

Amy closed her nursing bra then the buttons on the front of her light green, sleeveless blouse, still holding Eclipse who was especially clingy today then she turned towards Shadow. "Well, there are only 2 options: On one hand, we can drive back to town and buy some formula, on the other I can take better care of myself and nurse them more often." she said.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's drive back and get the formula for our babies before they get malnourished or will starve!" Sonic asked from the back seat, panic evident in his voice.

Amy rolled her eyes.

Shadow chuckled. "They won't starve that quickly, Sonic. Yet you also got me worried, there, Rose. What do you mean with not taking properly care of yourself?" he asked.

Amy shifted Coral's weight so that her baby's head was now resting on her right shoulder and Coral could look around, something which the baby normally liked since she was a very lively and curious child and, indeed, her crying subsided almost immediately.

Amy cleared her throat. "The usual, eating regularly and the right foods, drinking enough to avoid dehydration, nursing the babies regularly or pumping milk." she said.

"It's our fault then. Shadow's and mine. Especially mine. I have totally screwed up your schedule with my idiotic behavior and the consequences resulting from it!" Sonic said.

Amy turned towards Sonic, opening her mouth to appease her husband, but Shadow beat her to it. Extending left hand and putting it on his younger brother's right knee.

"I think we have all screwed up, Sonic. Nobody has behaved rationally or been on their best behavior... I think it's the cabin. Rose, what do you know about it?" Shadow asked, hesitantly.

Amy shrugged which led to Eclipse making a displeased noise. "Not much. I told you that while we were planning this trip and I had already checked different cabins at different locations that were suitable for our needs, the ad for this cabin was suddenly in my mailbox. And it was a special offer! You know that we are a little low on money at the moment, all of us, and since we had decided to go together, the whole gang, I had to find something that was affordable. This cabin seemed to be ideal for our needs." she said.

"I think Coral is asleep." Sonic said whispering, leaning towards the driver's seat, extending his arms. "Can I hold her please?"

For a moment, Amy was tempted to say 'No' because over the last couple of days her daughter had become very dependent on her even last night, when Scourge and Silver had volunteered to babysit Eclipse and Coral, her older twin brother had to bring Coral to her every couple of hours since the little girl still refused to be fed with the bottle and only calmed down in her mother's arms even thinking about this made her blush, considering the fact that she and Shadow had been clearly naked beneath their blanket as Scourge had woken her up the first time to tend to Coral.

"Yeah, of course, she is your daughter, after all." Amy said, handing over the baby to her husband.

It was a cute sight, seeing Sonic with the baby. Sonic was such a loving father, to both babies, actually. Unlike Shadow, who unconsciously seemed to prefer Eclipse, the child that looked like a replica of himself, except the quills were the opposite, Sonic treated Eclipse and Coral equally.

"So, you don't know anything about the cabin's history? Or our landlord?" Shadow asked.

Amy shook her head. "Sorry, no, I didn't know that I should have done some research before booking the cabin." she said.

"Whoa, I wasn't criticizing you, you know, just asking." Shadow said, defensively.

"Well, it almost sounded like you were." Amy said, angrily.

This time, it was Sonic who interfered.

"Guys, stop it, all right? It was fighting which led to all this shit!" Sonic asked, vehemently.

Shadow and Amy sighed.

"You are right, Sonic. We should stop accusing each other or feeling attacked for no reason... Nevertheless, I think it's time to continue driving back to the cabin." Shadow said.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, let's put the babies back into their carriers. But when we're back at the cabin, I'd like to take a nap while holding Eclipse and Coral. Unlike you 2, I couldn't hold them yesterday or last night or this morning." he said while placing their daughter in her baby carrier.

Shadow and Amy exchanged a glance before Shadow handed Eclipse over to his younger brother so that the little boy hoglet could also be put back into his carrier.

…

Forest Hill.

Cabin.

Of course Silver, Knuckles, and Scourge were relieved when Shadow, Sonic, and Amy returned with Eclipse and Coral. Yet, the joy of their reunion was overshadowed by their worries about Blaze.

After reaching town, Shadow had first called their friends in the cabin, telling them that he and Amy had found Knuckles's van but not Blaze and he had wanted to know whether Blaze had maybe returned to the cabin, which she hadn't, and despite their fight, Knuckles still cared for his ex-fiancé. So, Silver and Scourge had been busy to calm Knuckles down, coming up with best-case-scenarios why Blaze hadn't been in the proximity of the van.

When Shadow, Sonic, and Amy arrived with Eclipse and Coral at the cabin, Knuckles was sitting on the front porch, his head in his hands and flanked by Silver and Scourge. Sonic's report about his medical condition had been a short distraction for Knuckles, but after Shadow had helped his younger brother into the cabin and to their bedroom so that Sonic could lie down and rest while holding his babies, who were now sleeping peacefully, Knuckles had continued brooding.

After Sonic had been taken care of meaning that Amy placed a bottle of water and his medicine on the bed side table, Shadow and Amy joined Knuckles, Silver, and Scourge outside.

"Maybe it's all my fault." Knuckles said.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Why would you say that?" he asked.

Knuckles just shrugged. "Well, she wouldn't have called off out engagement if I had made her happy. Apparently, I wasn't able to do so." he said.

Shadow hated how depressed his younger cousin sounded. Shadow thought back to the evening when Knuckles had proposed to Blaze. It had been last New Year's Eve and they had all celebrated together. Blaze had seemed quite happy at that time, at least to Knuckles. Maybe Blaze was just a good actress.

"That's nonsense, Knuckles. I've seen how well you've always treated her, trying to indulge her every whim, renting the apartment she preferred though it was more expensive, watching the movies she liked, going out whenever she was in the mood, although you were tired, staying home whenever she wanted to, no matter what your own plans for the evening were... So, don't try to blame yourself for her unhappiness." Amy said.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "Wow, Rose, you make it sound as if Knuckles is a really good catch... Maybe I should reconsider my commitment to you and start wooing him." he said, joking.

However, Silver was the only one who chuckled. Knuckles stared wide-eyed at Shadow whereas Amy looked angry and Scourge appalled.

Shadow groaned, "It was supposed to be funny, you know? I was trying to lighten the mood, guys!" he said.

Yet, the others except Silver still stared strangely at him.

Shadow sighed, took out his cigarettes and a lighter. Of course, Silver took one from him, yet when he offered the others to Knuckles, he declined.

"Oh, no, thank you. I quit smoking around Easter when Blaze and I moved in together. She didn't like it." Knuckles said.

Silver just snorted whereas Shadow shrugged and put his cigarettes and the lighter away. For a while, the 3 young animals sat together in companionable silence.

"It's such a beautiful day and except for searching the woods for Amy's wayward husband and his brother, I wasn't able to go hiking. Yet that was the reason why I agreed on going on this trip. Silver, what do you say? Care to join me for a hike in the forest?" Scourge asked.

Silver shrugged. "Why not? We haven't done anything on this holiday so far, except for worrying and babysitting." he said, finishing his cigarette then standing up and offering Scourge his right hand.

The taller green young male hedgehog took it and let Silver pull him to his feet. "We won't be long just following one of the trails for inexperienced hikers to the lake. We should be back for dinner." he said.

Shadow frowned. "Well, make sure that you won't get lost, I think one more incident and the rangers will kick us out. Somehow I imagine that they are already referring to us as the most troublesome group they have ever met." he said trying to joke again and, of course, nobody seemed to get it.

Shadow sighed, finishing his cigarette as well.

After Scourge and Silver were on their way, Knuckles declared that he had to inform Blaze's family about her disappearance and went into the cabin in order to call Blaze's father. So, Shadow and Amy were the only ones remaining on the front porch. Since Shadow was bored, he lighted another cigarette, regarding the lush green meadow with different wild flowers surrounding their cabin and the woods encompassing the property.

"Shadow, what was between you and Blaze?" Amy asked.

Shadow almost dropped his cigarette with his right hand as he had totally forgotten that Amy had been witness to his fight with Blaze in which the younger woman had revealed something about their past. Something which Shadow had almost forgotten and was certainly not proud of.

Shadow cleared his throat. "She had a crush on me as a teenager. I knew about it, of course, and must admit that I flirted a little bit with her. Of course, Blaze thought that I was also interested in her, which I wasn't, not really, because she was too young. Then, on her 18th birthday, both of us got a little bit drunk and we started making out. Later, we ended up in her room. I didn't sleep with her, though." he said.

Shadow could see that his words hurt Amy since she drew her eyebrows together and lowered her gaze, fiddling with her wedding band. She took several deep breaths, then she turned towards him.

"How far did you go?" Amy asked, wanting to know.

Shadow drew on his cigarette, inhaling the smoke deeply. "She gave me a blow job, her first one, as she claimed. And I went down on her." he said.

Amy nodded slowly. "Yet you didn't sleep with her, as you said before. Why not? According to Blaze, she was practically begging you to fuck her!" she asked.

Shadow could hear the bitterness in Amy's voice. On the one hand, Shadow understood. Blaze and Amy had grown close over the last 18 months. Of course, Amy felt somehow betrayed. On the other hand, it had all happened long before Shadow and Sonic had met Amy, so, why was it bothering her so much?

"I couldn't. Believe it or not, but it felt wrong. I suddenly sobered up and told her that I wouldn't sleep with her and she grew desperate, suggesting that I could go and get Sonic, that she wouldn't mind to have sex with him as well since he and I usually shared girls. Her only condition was that she wanted me to be her first." Shadow said.

Amy laughed, shaking her head. "That doesn't sound like her at all, at least not like the Blaze I got to know! Tell me, Shadow, did she despise me the whole time, always thinking that it should have been her in your bed, not me? Just pretending to be my friend?" she asked.

Shadow didn't know how to answer this. Shadow didn't believe that Blaze had consciously deceived Amy, only pretending to be her friend. Blaze wasn't like that. Yet, attacking Knuckles, throwing her engagement ring at his feet and stealing his van didn't sound like her either. Shadow somehow felt as if he didn't know the cat girl he almost considered a sister at all.

….

Evening.

Shadow stood in the doorway leading into their cabin's kitchen and watched Amy preparing dinner: 2 baking tins of pizza. Amy's quills was tied back into a low ponytail and she was wearing black leggings and an olive-green, oversized t-shirt, revealing one of her creamy shoulders.

A part of Shadow wanted to walk over to Amy, wrap his arms around her waist and kiss her bare shoulders. Yet Shadow somehow felt that this gesture wasn't welcome. After their talk in the afternoon, their talk about Blaze, Amy had turned cold towards him.

Shadow observed how Amy was kneading the dough Blaze had already prepared yesterday since, according to her, pizza dough had to rest for 24 hours before it could be spread onto the baking tin and then covered with all the ingredients they liked. Otherwise, it would become too dry and hard. If Blaze had been here, preparing dinner would have been her task. Of course, Shadow could also cook a few easy meals but nothing special. Unlike Blaze. If Shadow was honest, Blaze was as good at cooking as Chuck and his mother, although she was so young.

Thinking about Blaze and watching Amy made his heart sink. 2 of the most important women in Shadow's life were obviously angry with him and yet he didn't even know if one of those two women would ever return to them.

"What do you want, Shadow?" Amy asked without looking at Shadow.

Shadow winced. _"How did she do that, knowing that he was standing there?"_ he thought.

Shadow cleared his throat. "I... I'm just." he said but actually didn't know what to say.

Amy turned towards Shadow, her hands covered in flour and her eyebrows drawn together. "You what?" she asked.

Shadow just shook his head.

Shadow remembered the Amy from last night, the Amy he had sex with, the way her long pink quills had been spread out on the pillow, the way she had moaned and screamed his name, the way her nails had scratched his back. Somehow, Shadow felt that this Amy was gone, that the Amy in front of him wouldn't let him touch her ever again. Yet, Shadow did nothing wrong. The little episode between Shadow and Blaze had happened about 5 years ago, so why was Amy so jealous? Amy had sexual relationships before as well, and neither him nor Sonic had been pissed about that fact. Well, maybe except Amy being with Mephiles since that asshole had treated her badly.

Instead of apologizing, Shadow said something completely different.

"You know that I love you, don't you?" Shadow asked.

Amy frowned. "Yeah, I know. What's going on?" she asked.

Shadow sighed. "Well, you tell me! I somehow have the feeling that you are rejecting me since I told you what had happened between me and Blaze. Honestly, Amy, it was ages ago!" he said, trying to argue but she interrupted him.

"Well, it might have been a long time ago, yet Blaze still feels something for you. Something which is more than just friendship." Amy said.

Amy turned back to the pizza dough, spreading it on the baking tins, grabbing the pot with tomato sauce, distributing it evenly on the dough and totally ignoring him.

Shadow hated it if Amy had beef with him she should tell him to his face, not get hurt.

Growling under his breath Shadow walked over to Amy, grabbed her left upper arm with his right hand and spun her around so that she had to face him.

Amy's eyes widened. "Shadow! Let go of me, now!" she said, yet Shadow only increased the pressure and Amy gasped.

"No, I will not let go until you tell me what your problem is!" Shadow said.

Amy tried to free herself and Shadow immediately grabbed her right arm as well with his left hand. Amy dropped the cooking spoon with her right hand which she had put the tomato sauce onto the pizza dough and it fell clattering to the ground.

"Shadow! Let. Go. Of. Me. Now!" Amy said again, louder this time and her eyes flashed.

Shadow could feel his manhood stir, seeing Amy like this, trapped between the counter top and him angry, her eyes wild. For a moment, Shadow considered kissing Amy but then he decided against it. There were too many dangerous objects, like sharp knives and heavy pans, within Amy's reach.

Yet, Shadow moved closer to Amy so that their bodies were touching. Amy's eyes widened when she could feel Shadow's hardness.

"Shadow, I swear, if you don't release me immediately, I'll scream bloody murder!" Amy said.

Normally, Shadow would have snapped out of it but he could feel something, some dark force, urging him on, testing Amy's limits, provoking her.

"Oh yeah? Fine, do it! I like it when you scream." Shadow questioned and didn't even know where the words came from.

Shadow could see Amy opening her mouth and taking a deep breath, preparing to scream, when a well-known voice interfered.

"What's going on?" a familiar male asked.

It was Sonic.

Instantly, Shadow let go of Amy and spun around to face his younger brother.

Sonic stood in the doorway to the kitchen, clutching one of their baby hoglets to his chest, glaring at the scene in front of him. If the pink blanket with the yellow stars was any indication, it must have been Coral.

"Sonic!" Amy said then she put some distance between herself and Shadow.

It appeared as if Sonic didn't hear Amy, the way his eyes were glued to his older brother.

"What were you doing with my wife?" Sonic asked calmly.

Shadow laughed humorlessly. "Your wife? I thought we agreed that she is our wife." he asked.

Sonic frowned. "Of course she is our wife, as long as you treat her well... I just got the impression that you were trying to harm her." he said.

Shadow snorted. "Honestly, you should use less painkillers, they seem to affect your brain! I would never do her any harm!" he said at his younger brother, balling his hands into fists.

Shadow's raised voice must have startled Coral since she started crying. In an instant, Amy was at Sonic's side, taking the baby from him.

"Oh, I think you were trying to harm me, Shadow!" Amy said then left the kitchen, pressing Coral to her chest.

"See, Shadow? It's not the painkillers that make me see things. Amy also got the impression that something was wrong with you." Sonic asked then he limped over to his older brother and put his hands on his shoulders. "Talk to me, brother. Something is definitely bothering you... What's going on?"

For a moment, Shadow looked into his younger brother's pleading eyes, almost answering that it was the cabin affecting him but then he lowered his gaze and brushed Sonic's hands off with both hands, too overwhelmed by the sudden urge to punch the younger man, something he had never done before and something he would never do, rather cutting his own hands off!

So, without another word, Shadow went over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of beer, and left the kitchen through the patio door.

For a moment, Sonic didn't know what to do. A part of Sonic wanted to follow his older brother onto the patio, another part wanted to go to Amy and make sure she was okay. Amy was his wife, after all. Yet, Shadow was his older brother.

Guessing that maybe Shadow needed a moment to himself, to come back to his senses, Sonic decided to go to Amy.

When Sonic entered the living room, Amy was sitting in an armchair, breastfeeding Coral. Sonic could see that Amy was crying, yet, as he approached her, she wiped the tears away.

"Sonic!" Amy said, smiling shyly.

"Hey." Sonic said, limping over to one of the couches, sitting down on the right side, pretending that he hadn't seen Amy's tears since he knew she didn't like to cry in front of others.

For a moment, Sonic and Amy sat in companionable silence, the only sounds coming from the greedily drinking baby, their baby, Coral.

"Care to tell me what happened in the kitchen?" Sonic asked.

Amy frowned. "I don't know how much you witnessed." she said honestly, focusing entirely on the child in her arms, his child.

Sonic shrugged. "Not much. I only saw Shadow pressing you against the counter top, holding your arms in a vice like grip while there was definitely fear written upon your face." he said.

Amy laughed humorlessly. "Oh, I was terrified, believe me! I've never seen him like this before." she said.

"Me neither. Shadow has always been a gentleman when dealing with women." Sonic said.

Sonic and Amy fell silent again, watching their daughter drink and though it was a peaceful picture, Sonic suddenly felt a sense of fear.

When Shadow and Sonic had registered on the website for co-parents, they had just wanted to become fathers. None of the women they had met in real life had been mother material and since men couldn't get pregnant, they had to find a woman they liked and who was willing to carry their child. Shadow and Sonic had never dreamed about finding love in the process, yet they had. Amy was a gift from the heavens above, accepting Shadow and Sonic as a duo, Sonic and Shadow, brothers who would never be separated, not even by marriage or fatherhood.

However, now it seemed that it was all going down the drain, the unique relationship Shadow, Sonic, and Amy had forged.

Why? Sonic didn't know.

When Amy had gotten pregnant again after her miscarriage, with twins nonetheless, Shadow and Sonic had been more than happy and now they were the fathers of 2 wonderful babies. So, what was wrong with them to jeopardize all that?

Yet Sonic didn't have time to finish this thought since Coral had obviously finished drinking and Amy re-adjusted the baby's position to burp her.

"What about Eclipse?" Amy asked out of the blue.

Sonic needed a moment to understand what Amy meant with that.

"Oh, he is sleeping peacefully in his crib. As soon as I woke up from my nap, a slightly snoring Eclipse greeted me, I swear he got this from Shadow and a happily gurgling Eclipse. So, I put Eclipse in his crib and decided to walk around the cabin with Coral. If she takes after me, she'll get easily bored and I wanted to entertain her." Sonic said, implying again the assumed paternity of the twins.

Yet, Amy's reaction unsettled Sonic. "You left our baby boy alone in the bedroom?" she asked sharply.

Sonic drew his eyebrows together. "Yeah. Why?" he asked.

Amy didn't answer, just got up from the armchair and Sonic briefly wondered how she could do that so gracefully while holding a baby.

"Amy?" Sonic asked calling out to Amy, getting up from the couch as well.

Amy turned towards Sonic. "It's just something that Shadow said." she said then stormed into the direction of the corridor and their bedroom.

Sonic followed Amy as fast as he could.

"He... he is gone! Sonic, my son, he is not in his crib! What... what did you do to him?" Amy asked, screaming.

Sonic stared open-mouthed at the empty crib. He knew that he had put the baby into it!

"Nothing! Amy, I swear to you that I placed Eclipse in his crib after I got up... Do you really think that I would hurt our son?" Sonic asked demanding to know, looking into Amy's eyes.

After a while, Amy averted her gaze, sighing. "Of course not. But where is he? Where is Eclipse?" she asked, looking frantically around the room.

Amy's panic unsettled Eclipse again, who started crying heartbreakingly. It wasn't the first time that Sonic noticed the strong bond between their daughter and her mother. A part of Sonic wanted to believe that it was due to the fact that Amy was his and that his love for Amy was stronger, purer than his older brother's love for her, but his love for Shadow prevented him from really acknowledging those possessive thoughts.

"Sonic, where is he? Where is Eclipse?" Amy asked wanting to know, looking at Sonic desperately while rocking Coral.

"I don't know... I put him into his crib, I really did!" Sonic said, "Maybe he started crying and Knuckles or Scourge and Silver took the baby with them to calm him down?" suggesting, not really believing it.

Amy shook her head. "After talking to Blaze's father, Knuckles went straight to the room he shares with Blaze, claiming to have a terrible headache, needing to lie down. And Silver and Scourge are hiking in the woods." she said.

Sonic teared his quills. "Then... I don't know, but maybe Shadow... I mean, Eclipse's his son... so maybe he took the baby?" he asked and saw relief washing over Amy's face.

"Yeah, of course... I mean, why not? So, where is Shadow?" Amy asked.

The first thing that came to Sonic's mind was that his older brother must have taken the baby boy hoglet outside with him. Sonic hoped that Shadow did.

"The patio! After you have left the kitchen, Shadow went onto the patio. Maybe we'll find him there, with Eclipse!" Sonic said.

So, Sonic and Amy went back to the kitchen and from there onto the patio while Amy was still holding a crying Coral.

…

Shadow was pissed, really pissed, yet he didn't know why or with whom, maybe with Sonic and Amy, maybe with himself, maybe with Blaze.

No, Shadow couldn't be angry with Blaze as she was still missing, nobody knew what had happened to her, if she would ever come back to them.

Poor Knuckles. Shadow didn't envy Knuckles. First, Shadow had to find out that he had only been some sort of substitute, then he had to inform Blaze's father about her disappearance. No wonder the guy got a headache. Knuckles has always had a delicate condition, being constantly ill as a child, missing school for weeks on end. Sonic, on the other hand, had been prone to accidents, breaking his arm, twisting his ankle, skinning his elbows and knees, getting a concussion and while Silver had been the daredevil of their group, Shadow had always been the boring, responsible one, taking care of everyone and everything.

That was Shadow's role, not only regarding his friends and little brother, well actually brothers since Manik was also his little brother but also with his wife and children. If Shadow could still call Amy his wife . Maybe Shadow finally fucked up and Amy would only be his sister-in-law from now on.

Of course, Amy was angry with Shadow, considering the fact that he had almost forced himself on her. Shadow still felt sick when he thought about what had transpired in the kitchen. If Sonic hadn't walked in then, Shadow didn't know what would have happened. How should Shadow ever gain Amy's trust again? Shadow knew what that bastard, Mephiles, had done to her.

What was wrong with Shadow? How could Shadow have lost control like that, almost harming the woman he loved?

Shadow took another sip of beer and noticed that the bottle was empty. To distract himself, Shadow took out his cigarettes with his right hand and lighted one.

A part of Shadow wanted to go get his younger brother so that they could get drunk together like they had done a billion times before. Yet another part was convinced that Sonic was with his wife, with their wife, and certainly Amy had already told her husband that Shadow had made her bleed last night.

Had Amy really wanted it that rough? Shadow wasn't so sure now. Thinking about it, Shadow had been rather dominant. Maybe Amy hadn't scratched his back in the agony of passion but because Shadow had hurt her and she had tried to defend herself?

But Amy had said that she was okay this morning.

Sonic didn't know what to believe any more, to distinguish reality from fantasy.

Shadow noticed that he had almost finished his cigarette yet the smoking had not quenched his thirst for another drink. Sighing, Shadow crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray which was still sitting on the table and went back into the kitchen to grab another bottle of beer.

Everything was still the way Amy had left it, the unfinished pizzas on the counter top, the chopped ingredients ready to be put on the pizza, the cooking spoon on the floor.

When Shadow leaned down to at least pick up the cooking spoon and put in the sink, he noticed a smear of tomato sauce on the hem of his beige t-shirt and the front of his light-blue jeans. It was probably from when Amy had dropped the spoon as Shadow had spun her around.

So, Shadow decided that he needed to change his clothes and after placing the cooking spoon in the sink, he went to the bedroom he shared with Sonic and Amy. As soon as Shadow entered the corridor he could hear a baby crying. Frowning, he quickened his pace, entered the bedroom, and walked over to the cribs. Eclipse's crib was empty, as he had expected, but little Eclipse was lying in his crib, crying heartbreakingly, flailing his chubby arms and legs.

Shadow felt angry again.

Of course, Sonic and Amy would forget about Eclipse, focusing all their attention on Coral since she was their daughter, completing them and their perfect relationship. Eclipse was no one to Sonic and Amy, just like Shadow, just the third wheel.

"Shh, don't cry, my precious, your Dad's here." Shadow said cooing, lifting his son out of the crib with both hands, cradling him in his arms. Immediately, Eclipse stopped crying, looking up at Shadow from his big crimson red eyes. So, the baby boy hoglet wasn't hungry, just lonely, and bored and sulky. Well, that would make 2 of them.

Suddenly, Shadow didn't feel the urge to get another drink any more, he would rather like to go outside with his son and explain to him the different trees and plants, growing around and on their property, like his uncle Charles used to do with him, before Sonic was born, of course. Then Charles had bestowed all his attention on his younger nephew. Thankfully, their other uncle had still been alive at that time and he had taken care of him. Until the other uncle had died.

Yes, Shadow would go outside with Eclipse, just the 2 of them, he and his son.

So, Shadow wrapped the light blue baby blanket with the green stars tighter around Eclipse with both hands because it was already evening and the heat of the day had been replaced by a light chill. Then Shadow left the bedroom, walked through the creepy corridor, unconsciously pressing Eclipse closer to his chest then going back into the kitchen, checking the fridge for baby bottles with Amy's breast milk, just in case Eclipse got hungry, and finally leaving the cabin.

It was a nice, peaceful summer evening. The air smelled of wood and grass and herbs, crickets were chirping and birds were singing. Shadow couldn't help but smile and his anger was suddenly gone.

"See, Eclipse? Those trees around our property are called birch trees, they usually grow in northern temperate and boreal climates. I'm also pretty sure that there is some swamp hiding behind the tree line." Shadow asked.

Eclipse looked up at Shadow interestingly, making some noises that could be interpreted as confirmation then he gurgled and smiled at him.

Shadow could feel his heart melt.

This was Shadow's son he was holding in his arms, the child he had wished for since his mother had given birth to little Manik, the child that only existed because Amy had been generous enough to distribute her love between the 2 hedgehog brothers who were inseparable. Amy, the mother of this child. Amy, the woman he had treated badly.

Shadow started crying.

* * *

End of Chapter 8.

Please Review.

No Flames.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

When Blaze woke up, she didn't know where she was, when she was then it all came back to her.

Blaze had irresponsibly run away after pissing off her fiancé (ex-fiancé) and her friends and had gotten lost in the woods after chasing after some kind of apparition or hallucination. Cheers.

Now, the heat of the day had been replaced by an evening chill and the trees around the clearing were casting long shadows. Soon, it would be getting dark.

Sighing heavily, Blaze got up from the forest floor and tried to stand on a pair of shaky legs. Blaze felt nauseous and thirsty and hungry, all at the same time, and she was experiencing cramps in her lower abdomen as if her period was about to start.

Finally. Blaze was already almost a week late and if she hadn't been so distracted by Sonic's and Amy's wedding and planning this trip, she would have taken a pregnancy test, just to be sure. Now Amy knew that this would have been unnecessary since this night or tomorrow morning the bleeding would start.

However, Blaze being pregnant would have been rather impossible since her fallopian tubes were blocked (due to endometriosis, though she hadn't told her fiancé - ex-fiancé) and Knuckles was most likely infertile due to an inflammation of the testes he had gotten as a child after he had been down with mumps. Therefore, Knuckles and Blaze didn't take precautions like hormonal or barrier contraception, only relying on natural contraception.

For a moment, Blaze tried to figure out from which direction she had come to decide into which direction she should go so that she would find back to her friends. It was then that Blaze felt something running down the inside of her thigh most likely blood, which really took her by surprise since the first day of her period had never resulted in such a strong bleeding.

When Blaze looked down at herself, she could see that the inside of her burgundy capris had developed a darker shade of red. Blaze touched it with a shaking hand and, yes, there was definitely blood on her finger tips.

Blaze sobbed as she was in the middle of the woods, dehydrated and starving, injured and had started bleeding. Furthermore, night was approaching and Blaze had nothing with her to keep her warm.

Blaze knew that she would have to find back to civilization, otherwise, she might die from exposure.

Trying to calm herself down, Amy tried to decide into which direction she should go. It was hopeless. There was no clue where the road and the hiking trails were, where their cabin was. Blaze could just blindly run into the woods and maybe be lucky, find one of the hiking trails, the road, or their cabin or she could still be lost.

Suddenly, Blaze remembered what Sonic had told her, that Shadow had advised that they should let their hearts guide them when the brothers had been lost in the woods.

Yet Shadow and Sonic had several reasons to find back to the cabin, Amy and their baby hoglets. Blaze had no one. Blaze was sure that neither Knuckles nor Shadow were keen on seeing her again. However, Blaze still liked them, they were her friends, no matter how they thought about her at the moment, she was already missing them, wanted to get back to them and then, at home, her family was waiting for her, her father and her siblings and her mother, her beautiful, fragile mother who was living in her own world but who still knew that she had 3 children and was always happy when they visited her.

Blaze had to find a way out of the woods, she had to get back to her loved ones and suddenly she seemed to know into which direction to go. It was as if Blaze's feet found the way on their own.

Of course, it could just be Blaze's imagination, maybe she wasn't approaching civilization but moving further away from it. How should Blaze know? Blaze was completely disorientated but this was her only chance and she would take it.

Giggling, because the very idea that Blaze's heart would guide her home was hilarious or maybe because she was going mad like her mother she just placed one foot in front of the other, carefully avoiding any vines or dried branches that could make her stumble and fall.

It was interesting though that Blaze didn't choose a straight path but rather zigzagged her way through the undergrowth. If Blaze had consciously tried to find her way back she would have chosen a straight path, so maybe the whole let-your-heart-guide-you wasn't that idiotic? Who knew...

Yet Blaze didn't consider that below the trees it would be darker than on the clearing. Involuntarily, Blaze thought about the ghostly apparition, the blonde hedgehog woman in the wedding dress who had guided her deep into the woods, into the heart of darkness. Who was she? And why did she want to lead Blaze astray?

Blaze could hear something in the thicket next to her and gasped, almost expecting to see the woman again, but it was just a small fox. Blaze just hoped that it wasn't rabid.

As if on cue, the animal lifted its head and sniffed the air, looking into her direction. _"Maybe it can smell the blood."_ Blaze thought, feeling gross since there was more and more running down the insides of her thighs, her cramps getting worse.

Blaze just wanted to lie down and rest with a hottie pressed against her lower abdomen, maybe drinking a cup of lady mantle's tea against the cramps, nap for a while but she couldn't, she was still lost in the wood and needed to go home. So Blaze just continued going on, not thinking about her way, just letting her feet do their job.

Then, finally, Blaze thought she could see something between the trees. At first, it just looked like another clearing but then Blaze was sure that she could also see some lights. Blaze's heart started beating faster.

Their cabin was standing on a clearing and, of course, Blaze's friends would have turned on the lights.

Blaze threw caution to the wind, no longer really paying attention to the forest floor since her eyes were fixed on those lights and she started running towards them.

A few times, Blaze almost stumbled but could always catch her fall and then she broke through the tree line, finally reaching the clearing and the cabin. Their cabin. It was true! Blaze's heart had guided her home.

Washed over by relief, Blaze collapsed on the grass, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Blaze?" a familiar male voice asked.

Somebody had just called Blaze's name.

Blaze sat up, wiping away her tears with her right hand and looking around, trying to find out who the voice belonged to since it had sounded very familiar and then she spotted him, standing there on the patio, cradling a squirming bundle in his arms. Shadow and one of the baby hoglets.

For a moment, Shadow and Blaze just stared at each other then he strode over to her, crouching down and pulling her into a one-armed hug with his right hand since he was still holding the baby.

"Oh my god, is that really you? Or am I seeing things?" Shadow asked after he and Blaze had separated then he stood up and helped her to her feet.

Blaze smiled shyly. "Yes, it's really me!" she said.

Shadow hugged Blaze with his right hand again briefly then he guided her back to the patio, his right arm wrapped around her shoulders in a protective gesture and she couldn't help but to lean into him, to let his body heat warm her up.

"You are icy cold! And you must be thirsty and hungry! We'll just have to get you into a hot tub and prepare something to drink and to eat for you." Shadow said, removing his right arm from Blaze's shoulders to open the door that led from the patio into the kitchen.

When Shadow and Blaze went through the door, they came face to face with a surprised looking Sonic and Amy.

"Shadow!" Amy said gasping, involuntarily taking a step back while Sonic seemed to move in front of her as if he wanted to protect her.

This gesture hurt Shadow more than he was ready to admit.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Hey, Rose, look whom I have found outside on our property!" he said because honestly he didn't know what else to say, given the circumstances.

Amy's eyes widened. "Blaze!" she said, moving closer to the cat woman while rocking a whimpering Coral.

Blaze wrapped her arms around her middle and lowered her gaze. "Hi." she said, shyly.

Amy opened her mouth in order to say something but then Eclipse made a squealing noise and her attention was drawn to the baby.

"Oh, thank god, Eclipse's with you, Shadow. We were worried sick when we couldn't find him." Amy said. "Sonic, can you please take him?"

Sonic nodded and stretched out his arms in order to receive the baby boy from his older brother.

Yet Shadow hesitated.

Sonic frowned. "Shadow? Can you please give me my son? You've heard what Amy said." he asked.

Shadow snorted. "He isn't your son, Sonic, he is my son. Honestly, you already have Coral and you got Rose, Uncle adores you and mom pampers you... What else do you want to take away from me?" Shadow questioned as his tone was colder and the words harsher than he had initially planned.

_"So much for apologizing and trying to repair their relationship!"_ Shadow thought.

"Shad-Shadow." Sonic said, looking at his older brother from big emerald green eyes.

Shadow knew the expression as Sonic has been using it since he was a baby. Shadow wouldn't fall for it anymore.

"It's true, isn't it, Sonic? You always get everything you want. And what about me?" Shadow asked.

On the one hand, Shadow didn't understand were this new anger came from, on the other, he felt that talking like this to his younger brother had been long overdue. For a moment, Shadow and Sonic just stared at each other while Eclipse was squirming in his arms and Coral whimpering in Amy's.

"Guys, can you please stop fighting? I'm not well..." Blaze asked whispering then she collapsed right into Sonic's arms.

"She's unconscious! We need to call a doctor! Look at all her injuries and... and the blood!" Sonic said nodding towards the insides of Blaze's pants and the floor on which several red drops were visible.

"We'll have to bring her into the living room. Sonic, can you carry her?" Amy asked.

Sonic chuckled humorlessly. "Sure, no problem, I'm just a little bit handicapped, with my bad arm and leg. I might need my brother's assistance for peeing, but carrying a fully-grown woman I can manage." he said sarcastically.

Amy rolled her eyes. "You could have simply said no, Sonic... All right, Shadow, give me the baby and you can carry Blaze then." she said.

Shadow simply nodded.

Of course, Blaze was in a bad condition, Shadow had known that yet acting upon his jealousy and quarreling with his younger brother had been more important to him than to help his friend, he was an asshole, through and through.

Carefully, Shadow placed Eclipse in Amy's right arm and was relieved that she didn't flinch when they touched then he took Blaze from Sonic.

"Why is she bleeding down there?" Sonic asked, looking from Shadow to Amy and back again.

"I don't know, it could have several causes." Amy said, unclearly.

Shadow knew why the bleeding alarmed his younger brother, it was the same reason why it made him feel queasy and Amy being unclear. It reminded Shadow and Sonic of Amy's miscarriage all those months ago.

"Do you think she is... that..." Sonic said but didn't seem to be able to finish the sentence.

"I don't know, Sonic." Shadow said frustrated then he brushed past his younger brother and Amy, towards the door leading into the living room.

Sonic and Amy followed Shadow.

After Shadow had placed Blaze on the couch, Amy sent him upstairs to get Knuckles while handing the babies over to Sonic who had sat down on the other couch. Shadow couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when Sonic took Eclipse into his arms, yet there wasn't time for this now. Blaze needed help and Knuckles needed to know that his ex-fiancée was back but in a bad condition.

When Shadow entered the bedroom Knuckles and Blaze shared, he couldn't help but smile at the picture that greeted him. Knuckles lay curled up on one of the 2 queen-sized bed and Shadow's gut told him that it must be Blaze's, clutching a cushion to his chest.

"Knuckles?" Shadow asked whispering, silently approaching his younger cousin, carefully placing his right hand on his left shoulder.

Knuckles made some unintelligible noise, burying his face in the cushion.

"Knuckles!" Shadow said again louder this time, shaking his cousin's left shoulder.

Knuckles groaned and rolled onto his back. "What's up?" he asked.

Shadow sat down on the bed. "Blaze's back!" he said.

Knuckles's eyes widened and he sat up immediately. "Bla-Blaze? How is she?" he asked, wanting to know.

Shadow sighed. "Not really in a good condition. She found back to our cabin all on her own but then she collapsed right into Sonic's arms and is unconscious." he said.

Knuckles all but jumped out of the bed. "I need to go and talk to her, Shadow, maybe it was all a misunderstanding, maybe she will come back to me." he said while running his hands through his dreadlocks to tame it, straightening his clothes.

Shadow shook his head. "Knuckles, don't take her by surprise like that. She has scratches all over her face, arms and legs, she is almost hypothermic and dehydrated and... and she is bleeding." he said.

Knuckles turned towards him. "Bleeding? Is she injured?" he asked, demanding to know.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Well, no, I don't think it's that kind of bleeding..." he said ominously.

Knuckles drew his eyebrows together. "What do you mean with 'not that kind of bleeding'?" he asked.

Shadow sighed, ruffling up his quills with his right hand. "Do you remember when Amy miscarried?" he asked.

Knuckles didn't reply to that, just stormed out of the room.

"Knuckles? Knuckles!" Shadow asked after his cousin following him, rushing to the stairs.

Of course, being more athletic, Shadow caught up with Knuckles, grabbing his left arm with his right hand before Knuckles could descend the stairs.

"Knuckles, wait, it doesn't mean that Blaze is having a miscarriage, I mean, it's pretty unlikely for her being pregnant, isn't it? You had orchitis when you were twelve, meaning you are sterile, aren't you? Maybe she just got her period?" Shadow asked, trying to reason but Knuckles shook his head.

"I'm not completely sterile, you know. I went to your urologist, Sonic advised me to do so before proposing to Blaze, just in case she wanted to have children and according to my semen analysis, I'm only partially sterile." Knuckles said.

That was new. Shadow didn't even know that Sonic and Knuckles had talked about such serious stuff. Too overwhelmed by this piece of information, Shadow let go of Knuckles who rushed down the stairs immediately.

As soon as Knuckles opened the door to the living room, he froze.

Blaze was lying on one of the couches beneath a thick blanket while Amy was kneeling next to her on the floor talking quietly to her and Sonic was sitting on the other couch holding his crying babies.

Actually, Sonic was the one who noticed Knuckles's presence.

"Knuckles!" Sonic said.

Immediately, Amy looked up and gestured for Knuckles to come over to the couch.

Knuckles swallowed hard and went to his ex-fiancé and his cousin's wife. Amy gave Knuckles a small smile and patted his right shoulder with her left hand before she went over to Sonic and took the babies from him.

"We leave you two alone for a moment, all right? The babies need to be changed and I think that Eclipse is hungry." Amy asked before turning towards the door leading from the living room into the corridor.

Sonic followed Amy.

As soon as Knuckles was alone with Blaze, he knelt down next to her, suddenly feeling shy.

"Hi." Blaze said.

Blaze looked up at Knuckles, worrying her already chapped lower lip, remaining quiet.

Tentatively, Knuckles extended his right hand and brushed back a stray fur from her forehead. Knuckles had always loved Blaze's lavender fur, so pretty and shiny and silky, unlike his own coarse, red dreadlocks.

As soon as Knuckles touched Blaze, she started crying.

"I'm so, so sorry, Knuckles." Blaze said, crying.

Knuckles could feel tears filling his own eyes. "Shh, it's okay, you were just angry and said things you didn't mean, I can understand, we will work through this." he said.

Blaze shook her head. "No, I meant every word I said. And that's why I'm so sorry, Knuckles. You deserve better than me, always have. I... I wasn't honest with you, used you to get over someone else. And that wasn't fair!" she asked, taking Knuckles's right hand into her left hand.

Knuckles could feel his heart break. The whole time Knuckles had believed that when Blaze was back they could just make up and everything would be all right again but her words suggested differently.

"It's okay." Knuckles said, hoping that Blaze was just confused and traumatized because of what she had gone through, refusing to let her go without a fight.

"It's not okay, Knuckles! You are such a good person, always kind and gentle. And I was so terrible to you... please forgive me!" she said, pressing the back of his right hand against her lips.

Knuckles hated to see Blaze this humble, it didn't suit her. The Blaze Knuckles knew had always been practical, sensible, and sassy.

"Of course, I forgive you, Blaze, I love you, always and forever, even though you don't want me anymore." Knuckles said, pressing a kiss to Blaze's forehead.

Blaze sobbed again. "Please, don't love me, don't be nice to me, I don't deserve it." she said, but Knuckles shook his head.

"Oh, you deserve it, believe me, you might not see it now but you are also a good and kind person, taking care of your siblings the way you did after your mother had been institutionalized, helping your father." Knuckles said to Blaze.

Blaze gave Knuckles a sad smile. "Yet your mother never liked me..." she said.

Knuckles sighed. It was true. As soon as Knuckles had revealed to his mother that he wanted to marry Blaze, she had told him that pretty girls like Blaze would never fall for plain looking boys like him, that one day Blaze would break his heart, that she was only taking advantage of him. Had she been right, after all? Knuckles refused to believe it, refused to believe that his relationship with Blaze was over.

"My mother doesn't like anyone." Knuckles said. That was also true. Knuckles's mother was constantly complaining about her neighbors, about their relatives, about his brothers. Knuckles was sure that his mother was also complaining about him behind his back, especially since he had moved out of her house in April and moved in together with Blaze.

Moving in together had been a big step for Knuckles, more so than proposing. Since Blaze wanted to have the 2 bedroom apartment so that 'Sticks' could stay overnight whenever she wanted to, Knuckles had dared to dream about them having kids together, it might not be easy, but not impossible because Shadow's and Sonic's urologist had told him that he was not completely sterile.

Shadow's comment about Blaze's bleeding came back to his mind, so he gathered his courage.

"Blaze, are you pregnant?" Knuckles asked.

To Knuckles's surprise, the pretty, young cat woman started crying again. "I don't know." she said, averting her gaze.

Yet Knuckles was convinced that he knew. Yes, Blaze was.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Knuckles said.

And if on cue, Shadow entered the living room, looking completely misplaced.

"Rose asked me to drive Blaze and you to the hospital, Knuckles... Are you ready?" Shadow asked.

Knuckles didn't even bother to answer, he just got up from the floor and tried to lift Blaze from the couch, yet failing, not because she was too heavy but because he was too weak.

Instantly, Shadow was at Knuckles's side, helping him.

Blaze was very fragile, clinging to them so that she wouldn't collapse again.

"Do you think you can walk?" Shadow asked Blaze.

Blaze nodded. "Yeah, if you two help me?" she asked.

It sounded rather like a question than a statement and Knuckles knew why Blaze was suddenly so insecure. It was because of Shadow. Blaze still wasn't over Shadow. Knuckles felt a pang of jealousy then he grabbed the blanket from the couch with both hands and wrapped it around Blaze's shoulders.

"I assume that you will drive, Shadow, since we will most likely take Amy's car, won't we?" Knuckles asked.

Shadow nodded. "Yeah, of course." he said then he grabbed the bottle of water sitting on the coffee table with his right hand and handed it over to Knuckles. "Here, make sure that she takes small sips every couple of minutes because she is dehydrated and keep her warm during the drive because she is hypothermic, all right?"

Knuckles smiled at his friend. "All right!" he said.

Shadow briefly nodded at Knuckles then they helped Blaze walking towards the cabin door.

Sonic was sitting on the bed, his back propped up against several pillows, holding a happily gurgling Coral in his arms, while Amy was sitting in the rocking chair, nursing Eclipse and humming a lullaby.

Sonic felt completely useless with his left wrist and left leg, especially since he hadn't even been able to change Coral's and Eclipse's diapers a couple of minutes ago.

_"Great, Sonic."_ Sonic thought.

Then Eclipse finished drinking and Amy rearranged the baby boy hoglet's position to burp him like she had done with Coral in the living room before they had run into Shadow and Blaze.

Thinking about his older brother made Sonic's heart clench. Yes, Shadow had screwed up, frightened Amy and made her cry, but he wouldn't really have hurt her, right? Sonic refused to believe anything else. Sonic was glad that he had interrupted the situation at this stage though.

Shadow was very sorry about his behavior. He had only told them so a couple of minutes ago, yet Amy had ignored his apology, ordering him to accompany Blaze and Knuckles to the hospital.

"Do you think you will ever forgive Shadow?" Sonic asked.

Amy stopped humming the lullaby and looked at Sonic. "I don't know Sonic. It's just... it's too early. He really disappointed me, behaved in a way I would have never thought possible." she said.

Sonic nodded. That made sense. However, Sonic worried that maybe now their relationship was beyond repair. Thinking about that made Sonic very sad, so sad that a tear was rolling down his right cheek, falling onto Coral's forehead. The baby girl hoglet frowned when the teardrop met her fur and Sonic couldn't help but smile. Sonic's daughter was the cutest baby he had ever seen. Well, maybe except Eclipse. Thinking about Eclipse made Sonic instantly sad again since he was Shadow's son. Shadow had made that clear enough and there was definitely a rift between Shadow and Amy, the 2 people Sonic loved more than anyone else except for his babies and maybe his mother.

Another tear was rolling down Sonic's cheek and he wiped it away before it could fall onto Coral again.

"Hey, don't cry, Sonic." Amy said whispering next to Sonic, letting her right hand run through his quills, sitting down on the bed without Coral.

Amy extended her arms, gesturing for Shadow to give her Coral and he complied then Amy stood up and walked over to the cribs, placing Coral into one of them before joining Sonic on the bed again.

Without speaking a word, Amy took Sonic's face between her hands, caressing his tan muzzle and looking into his eyes for a moment then leaning towards him, sealing his lips with hers. It was their first real kiss in 2 days.

Sonic could feel his manhood stir with desire for his wife. Their kiss deepened and Amy straddled Sonic, yet minding his healing left leg.

"Make love to me." Amy said panting after she and Sonic finally separated.

"Of course." Sonic said, letting his hands wander beneath Amy's oversized t-shirt, caressing her back, feeling clumsy in the process due to his plaster cast.

"I'm afraid you must help me undress you, I'm a little bit handicapped." Sonic said.

Amy smiled at Sonic before kissing his nose then she leaned back a bit and slowly, sensually took off her t-shirt, revealing her creamy skin inch by inch as well as her black nursing bra. Sonic had been really surprised that fancy nursing bras existed when Amy had ordered some while still being pregnant).

"You are so beautiful, Ames." Sonic said whispering before capturing her lips in another kiss, stroking her thighs.

Again, it was Amy who broke the kiss. "And you are overdressed, my love." Amy said, letting her hands wander to the hem of Sonic's plain, black t-shirt, helping him to get rid of it, letting her hands roam freely over his exposed, tanned skin, her fingers through his tan chest fur.

Sonic and Amy took their time, undressing and exploring each other, until they were finally completely naked. Yet, when Sonic grabbed Amy's hips to help her settle down on his arousal, she stopped him.

"Wait! We should put a towel underneath." Amy said and got up from the bed, walking over to the wardrobe, opening one of the drawers and taking out a dark blue towel with both hands.

Sonic frowned. "Why? We've never put anything underneath before. If it gets messy, we can just change the sheets afterwards." he asked.

Amy blushed and lowered her gaze. "I bled last night. It freaked Shadow out. So, I want to spare you the same shock if it happens again." she said without looking at him.

Now Sonic was really confused. "You mean you got your period?" he asked, wanting to know.

Amy just shook her head, still avoiding his gaze. "No, Shadow and I... we had sex. Rather rough sex. And I bled afterwards." she saidd.

Sonic could feel his stomach twist. Did Amy just told Sonic that his older brother had made her bleed? Like those bastard Mephiles? Sonic had told his older brother to be gentle with Amy as she was still healing from giving birth.

"Did he hurt you?" Sonic asked bluntly, not being able to hide the anger in his voice.

Finally, Amy looked up at Sonic. "He didn't do it on purpose, Sonic. It just got a little bit out of hand. And... and I wanted it like that. I even hurt him too, scratching his back badly." she said.

Sonic swallowed hard, closing his eyes as he appreciated Amy's honesty, yet her confession hurt him. To hear that Sonic's brother and his wife had treated each other like that in bed. Of course, Sonic knew that Shadow and Amy liked it rough but that rough? Well, that was new.

Suddenly, Sonic felt a warm and soft left hand on his right cheek and opened his eyes again.

"Are you angry with me?" Amy asked Sonic.

Sonic gave Amy a sad smile. "No, just a little bit disappointed that you 2 hurt each other like that." he said, placing his right hand on her left bruised hip, recognizing the imprint of his older brother's hand on her creamy skin, pulling her closer then he took the towel from her. "You know that I will be gentle with you. Do you really think we will need this?" wanting to know.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "It would certainly be handy." she said.

Sonic nodded then he rose to his knees and placed the towel on the bed sheet before he sat down again, leaning back against the pillows, extending his arms towards Amy.

Amy smiled fondly at Sonic while he pulled her onto his lap.

As soon as Sonic entered Amy, Sonic couldn't help but utter a feral groan, it felt too good to be inside of her again and it was difficult for him to restrain himself, to not start frantically thrusting into her.

So Sonic simply closed his eyes, bit his lower lip and wrapped his arms tightly around Amy's waist until she was ready to start moving.

Apparently Amy needed a moment to adjust to Sonic, to his length and Sonic could imagine why surely she was still sore from the night before because he could feel her body tense, pressing her nails into his shoulders and then she started to gyrate her hips.

Sonic immediately opened his eyes and captured Amy's lips in a sloppy kiss, his grip tightening around her.

"Oh, Amy, Amy, I love you so much." Sonic said gasping in between kisses, each one more desperate than the one before.

"Love you too." Amy said her hands roaming freely over Sonic's back and spines, through his quills as if she needed to touch every part of him, to make sure that he was there and that he was hers.

Despite the urgency Sonic and Amy felt, their coupling remained slow and tender, her hips moving in a steady rhythm and he was following her lead, trying his best to not hurt her like Shadow did. Thinking about his older brother made Sonic angry. What the hell was wrong with Shadow? To treat Amy, Sonic's one true love, his wife like that? Sonic swore that he would never again allow Shadow to touch Amy, to come near her or the babies. Yes, Shadow screwed up big.

Then Amy sped up her movements and thinking became difficult for Sonic.

"I'm close, love." Sonic said whispering, burying his face on the left side of Amy's neck inhaling her wonderful scent, like vanilla and jasmine.

"Then just let go." Amy said breathed into Sonic's right ear.

Sonic didn't need to be told twice. "Amy!" he said spilling his cum deep inside of Amy, while she was holding him tight, pressing soft kisses to his temple, to his quills.

Sonic and Amy held each other close for some time afterwards before Amy got up from his lap.

"You alright?" Sonic asked, frowning.

Amy gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, perfect." she said to Sonic before. "I'll just go into the bathroom to clean up a bit."

Sonic frowned. "You are not bleeding are you?" he asked wanting to know and involuntarily looked down on his manhood, to check for any traces of blood but it was only covered with their intermingled juices.

Amy sighed. "No, Sonic, I'm not bleeding. I shouldn't have told you about it, knowing you, you will ask me this every time after we've had sex! Something to look forward to." she said acidly then left the bedroom through the connecting door to the bathroom.

Sonic growled in frustration. Of course, Amy had to get pissed, yet Sonic only meant well, wanted to make sure that she was alright after their lovemaking. Suddenly, Sonic noticed something odd. Amy had said 'after we've had sex', a term she usually used for her couplings with Shadow.

_"Why didn't Amy say 'after we've made love'?"_ Sonic thought wondered.

Maybe Amy was still angry with Shadow and by proxy with Sonic.

"This is all totally fucked up!" Sonic said whispering then covered himself with the blanket and tried to get comfortable. The medication and Sonic's recent activities were taking their toll on his body and he felt very sleepy. Sonic should probably clean up as well, yet Amy hadn't seemed to be keen on having him with her in the bathroom and since he could hear the shower running, it would take a while before she would come out of the bathroom. Furthermore, due to Sonic's injuries he wasn't able to clean up all by himself and would have to ask her for her assistance; he'd rather do that when she was in a better mood. Sonic's iphone rang and startled him from his light slumber. Fortunately, it was still resting on Sonic's nightstand.

"Yeah?" Sonic asked grumpily.

"Oh, someone's in a good mood." the very familiar voice on the other end joked. It was Shadow.

"What's up?" Sonic asked wanting to know, ignoring his older brother's comment.

"I just wanted to let you guys know that we've arrived at the hospital. Blaze's still bleeding and almost unconscious yet they told us to wait because there had been a stardust brawl which ended up in a knife fight and the doctors are currently treating the squabblers." Shadow said.

"Okay, but why are you exactly calling right now if you don't know anything new about Blaze's condition?" Sonic asked slightly irritated because his older brother had disturbed his napping.

"Oh, I know something new... The nurse at the reception made Blaze pee on a stick and guess what? It was positive! Apparently, Knuckles has knocked her up, can you believe that? I mean, come on, he's had orchitis!" Shadow asked in a shrill voice.

Sonic's stomach clenched. Blaze was pregnant and bleeding, meaning that she was losing her child, a child whose conception was a miracle in itself.

"That's awful, I mean not the pregnancy but that she is losing her baby." Sonic said.

"Oh, no, you got this wrong. Yes, she is bleeding but the nurse who examined her afterwards told us that the baby's fine. Blaze just needs some rest and maybe some medication but that would be the doctor's decision, so we will have to wait." Shadow said.

Sonic felt relieved. Blaze's baby was fine. That was good news. Yet the bleeding still worried him.

"Do you think she will make it?" Sonic asked his older brother.

Shadow snorted. "Of course she will! Do you think they would let us sit here and wait if her life was in danger?" he asked.

Sonic rolled his eyes though Shadow couldn't see it. "Of course not! But you have to admit that she was bleeding heavily before you guys left for the hospital." he said.

Shadow sighed. "I know. And not only at the cabin... I fear the backseat of Rose's car is pretty ruined." he said.

Now Sonic had an idea. "Why don't you try to clean it? I mean, you are not needed there at the hospital, are you? Knuckles's with her, so you could drive Amy's car to the petrol station and try to remove the blood." he asked.

For some reason that seemed to enrage Shadow. "I'm not leaving her alone, do you hear me? She is my friend! I've already done enough to hurt her..." he said.

Sonic didn't know what his older brother was talking about. Yes, Blaze was their friend, yet Sonic never got the impression that Shadow and Blaze were especially close, the only time they had seemed to get on really well had been at Blaze's eighteenth birthday.

"You slept with her, didn't you!" Sonic asked, suddenly accused his older brother.

"No, Sonic, I didn't, I swear! Anyway, I'll have to go now, to calm Knuckles down a bit, he is panicking the whole time and you know that he usually gets ill after being upset and we can't afford another sick or impaired member of our gang. Bye!" Shadow said then ended the call, not even waiting for Sonic to say his goodbyes.

With another frustrated growl, Sonic put his phone back on the nightstand.

…

Evening.

When Silver and Scourge came back to the cabin at dusk, the house was dark and quiet.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Scourge asked, after switching on the lights in the living room.

"Shadow? Sonic? Knuckles?" Silver asked after closing the door behind Scourge with his right hand.

Scourge and Silver didn't receive an answer.

Scourge turned towards his boyfriend. "Where is everybody?" he asked, wanting to know and his cyan blue eyes were wide with fear.

Silver shrugged. "Maybe they are sitting on the patio, having a barbecue?" he asked.

Scourge scowled. "Really? With Blaze missing and Sonic being sick?" he asked.

Silver shrugged again. "Maybe Blaze has returned and they are celebrating? I mean, Sonic might be sick but not that sick." he asked.

Scourge shook his head. "No, Silver. I don't think so. I don't know why but I somehow have the feeling that something is wrong... What if the babies got ill? Or something terrible happened to Blaze? Or Sonic's condition got worse again?" he questioned.

Silver sighed and ran his right hand through his unruly white quills. "You are really an optimist, aren't you? Don't you think they would have tried to inform us about those things? Yet neither your nor my mobile rang the whole time." he asked.

Scourge growled in frustration, imitating Silver's gesture. "You are really not used to hiking in the woods, are you? There's no reception! So even if they had tried to inform us, they wouldn't have been able to." he asked.

Silver immediately took his iphone out with his left hand and checked for any missed calls or text messages. Nothing.

"Well, I know for sure that there is reception here in the cabin. However, there are still no messages or missed calls." Silver said, showing his boyfriend the display of his mobile.

"Alright, Silver, you win! Maybe nothing terrible has happened." Scourge finally said making a dramatic gesture with his arms that reminded Silver of Jules, Scourge's father; Silver hated it.

"So, what do we do now? Search the cabin for the others?" Silver asked, frowning.

Scourge nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea! Let's start with the kitchen!" he asked.

To Scourge and Silver's surprise they didn't find the others in the kitchen but obviously their abandoned dinner preparations.

"Now this is creepy." Scourge said when he and Silver saw the baking tins with pizza dough and tomato sauce, the pots and plates with all the ingredients that were needed to make a terrific pizza.

"Yeah, it's like in a horror movie, you know, people just disappearing while doing their normal stuff..." Silver said and instinctively grabbed his boyfriend's left hand with his right hand.

"Let's check Amy's bedroom!" Scourge said squeezing Silver's right hand before dragging him off again.

Silver considered correcting Scourge, saying that it was Sonic's and Shadow's bedroom as well, but remained silent.

"Amy?" Scourge said calling out his younger twin sister's name while bursting into the room, switching the lights on.

"Oh my gosh! Do you want to give me a heart attack?" a disheveled looking figure asked, sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes; it was Sonic.

"Where is Amy?" Scourge asked, demanding to know.

Sonic took a deep breath, then he ran his right hand through his cobalt blue quills.

"In the bathroom, I would guess. At least that's where she has been before I fell asleep." Sonic said, wrapping the blanket around his waist with both hands and trying to get up.

"Where are you going?" Scourge asked.

Sonic rolled his eyes at him. "I have to make sure that the babies are okay, you made so much noise." he said.

Silver had to suppress a chuckle. While Scourge and Shadow seemed to get along well enough, Sonic and Scourge were always bickering.

As it turned out, Sonic's choice to use a blanket in order to cover himself had been a mistake since the fabric was more renitent than he had obviously thought because it slipped from his hips as soon as he was leaning over one of the cribs.

Scourge immediately averted his gaze and shrieked. "Why on earth are you completely naked?" he asked

Silver couldn't contain his laughter anymore. To Silver, it seemed as if they were in a bad comedy, especially when Sonic turned bright red and tried to pick up the blanket from the floor and wrap his lower body in it.

"What do you think, Scourge? Why would anyone be naked in bed?" Sonic asked.

Now Scourge also turned red. "Oh, please, don't tell me you have just slept with my sister! That's... uagh!" he said and literally fled the room.

Silver thought he had never before laughed this hard in all his life.

"Ha ha, very funny, Silver!" Sonic said embarrassed after fastening the blanket around his hips and looking first into one crib then the other then he sighed with relief. "Thank god, the babies are still asleep! So can you please stop making such a noise?"

Silver nodded while wiping away the tears from his eyes with his right hand. However, Silver needed a few moments to recover from his laughing fit.

"I'm sorry, Sonic, the whole situation was just so surreal! Scourge's indignation and facial expression and your futile attempt to cover your nakedness with the blanket!" Silver said, snorting with laughter again.

"Okay, that's enough! Get out! I won't let you wake up the babies." Sonic said seriously, grabbing Silver's right shoulder with his right hand and shoving him out of the room.

Silver didn't mind, though. Actually, Silver was happy when Sonic slammed the door shut behind him which must have woken one of the babies since he could hear an infant's cries over his own laughter, followed by Sonic cursing.

As soon as Silver had calmed down a bit, he heard someone talking on the first floor. Guessing that maybe the rest of their gang was there, Silver went upstairs and noticed that the voices were coming from Knuckles's and Blaze's room.

When Silver entered the room, a surprise awaited him. It wasn't Knuckles and Blaze, as Silver had assumed but Scourge and Amy. Scourge was sitting on one of the queen-sized beds while Amy was standing in front of the wardrobe, a duffel bag in her hands, wearing olive green yoga pants and a brown tank top.

"What's going on? Where are the others?" Scourge asked his boyfriend's younger twin sister and his cousin's wife.

Both Scourge and Amy turned towards Silver.

"I'm packing some things for Blaze. She has to stay at the hospital for a couple of days and needs fresh clothes as well as her toiletry case." Amy said.

Amy's quills, still half-wet from the shower, was falling down her back and over her shoulders.

"So Blaze's back? And she has to go the hospital? Where is she?" Silver asked wanting to know, looking from Amy to Scourge.

Scourge sighed. "Amy has just started explaining everything to me. All I know is that Blaze arrived back at the cabin while we were gone, bleeding heavily, so Knuckles and Shadow have accompanied her to the hospital." he said.

Silver frowned."I understand that Knuckles went with her, but why Shadow? Isn't he needed here? To take care of his brother and his babies?" he asked.

Amy shrugged. "Knuckles doesn't have a car at the moment. So I asked Shadow to drive them to the hospital in my car. That's why he went with them. Then, when I came out of the shower, he sent me a text message, saying that Sonic wouldn't answer his phone, yet he wanted to inform us that he would be coming back to the cabin to grab a few things for Blaze since she has to stay at the hospital for a few days." Amy said.

Silver took a deep breath. Everything was still very mysterious to him. "And why does she have to stay at the hospital? What happened to her?" he wanted to know.

Amy shrugged again. "Shadow didn't say. Anyway, he will be here in about 30 minutes. You can ask him for yourself then, when he fetches Blaze's stuff." she said.

Silver was confused. Why wouldn't Amy ask Shadow?

Somehow Silver felt that something big had happened while he and Scourge had been enjoying their hike in the woods.

…

Julayla Memorial Hospital.

Knuckles watched a sleeping Blaze, lying in her hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, being hooked to an IV. Although Blaze's lavender fur looked pretty lank and her face rather pale after everything she had gone through, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Holding Blaze's right hand in his left hand, Knuckles wondered what the future had in store for them.

Blaze was pregnant!

Knuckles still couldn't believe it.

The doctors had been really puzzled that the baby was strong and healthy, still clinging to its mother's womb, although Blaze's endometrium had started to shed. Luckily, they had been able to stop the bleeding. If everything went well, Knuckles would be a father in about 7 months since Blaze was 8 weeks pregnant.

Somehow Knuckles liked the thought that their baby had been conceived the same day Shadow's and Sonic's twins had been born, though he knew it could have also happened the day before or after or even any other day during that week since he and Blaze had sex on a daily basis, usually 2 or 3 times a day since they had moved in together. Of course, during Blaze's fertile time of the month they would resume to other, non-penetrative methods to give each other pleasure, like oral sex or mutual masturbation because she didn't like to use hormonal, chemical or barrier contraception and when she had her period, Blaze would always make sure to keep him happy with blow jobs and hand jobs.

If Knuckles was honest, Blaze's sexual appetite had frightened him at the beginning of their relationship then he had started to feel flattered that she seemed to desire him that much, being rather vocal in bed, claiming to 'love the feeling' of his 'cock in her pussy', 'needing' him 'to fill' her 'with his 'cum'.

At first Knuckles had found it intimidating to hear Blaze say such lewd things when they were making love, later he had to admit that it actually turned him on somehow.

Furthermore, Knuckles and Blaze had been each other's first, meaning that they had figured out everything together, what they liked, tried out different things but it didn't matter anymore, did it. Blaze had called off her and Knuckles's engagement, had admitted to not being in love with him, to have used him in order to get over her unrequited love for Shadow but it didn't change the fact that she was carrying his child.

Knuckles and Blaze would still have to be friends in order to raise this child together since Knuckles would not want to miss seeing his little son or daughter growing up and there was still the flat they had rented together. He couldn't afford it on his own, depending on her share of paying the rent. Maybe Knuckles and Blaze could be flatmates, at least as long as their child was still young enough to sleep in his or her mother's bedroom? There were 2 bedrooms after all.

Blaze stirred, sighing in her sleep, drawing her eyebrows together.

"Shhh, it's okay, you are safe." Knuckles said whispering, brushing back the fur from Blaze's face with his right hand.

Maybe this was the last time Knuckles would be able to do this watching Blaze sleep, touching her lovingly.

Blaze didn't calm down, though, breathing heavily now, throwing her head from side to side on the pillow, clutching Knuckles's left hand with her right one and the blanket with her left one. Blaze was either having a nightmare or in pain.

Instinctively, Knuckles lifted the blanket with his right hand, wanting to make sure that Blaze hadn't started bleeding again which was not the case then he called for the nurse.

Shortly after, a tired looking, middled-aged grey hawk women with a plumb figure entered the room, frowning when she noticed Knuckles.

"What are you still doing here? Visiting hours are long over." the grey hawk woman asked.

Knuckles cleared his throat. "Oh, well, I know, I'm sorry, but the doctor who treated my fiancé... ex-fiancé... said it was okay to sit with her until my cousin comes back with her personal stuff." he said, turning red as his fur.

To Knuckles's surprise, the grey hawk nurse smiled indulgently. "I see. And I take it that you called for me. Why?" she asked.

Knuckles stepped aside so that the grey hawk nurse could take a look at Blaze who was still tossing and turning.

"I don't know what's wrong with her." Knuckles said.

The grey hawk nurse frowned then she checked Blaze's tubes, checked the infusion bag, took Blaze's pulse.

"Do you think she is in pain?" Knuckles asked, wanting to know.

The grey hawk nurse shook her head. "I don't think so. Yet I'll get a doctor so that he can do another ultrasound, just to be safe." she said then leaving the room.

Knuckles sat down in the chair next to Blaze's bed, burying his face in his hands.

Just a couple of minutes ago, Knuckles had been making plans about their future, about their baby's future and now the baby's life could be in danger or Blaze's. Why else was the nurse getting a doctor? Something was wrong and she didn't want to tell Knuckles.

Suddenly, a right hand grabbed his forearm and Knuckles startled, looking up.

It was Blaze.

Blaze looked at Knuckles with a frightened expression. "Knuckles, make her go away, please!" she said, whispering.

Knuckles looked around the room, thinking that maybe the nurse had come back, scaring Blaze in her fragile state but they were alone in the room.

"Blaze, darling, no one is here except for us!" Knuckles said emphatically, placing his left hand on Blaze's right shoulder, hoping to calm her down.

However, Blaze shook her head. "No, Knuckles, she is here, the blonde hedgehog lady in white. I've already seen her in the woods, she wanted me to get lost but I fought against her and now she is angry... She wants my baby!" said sobbing, clutching Knuckles's left arm.

Knuckles sat down on Blaze's bed, embracing her tightly with both hands.

Blaze's gown was soaked with sweat and she was shivering.

"Blaze, you are in the hospital, you are safe! And so is our baby." Knuckles said, trying to reason but Blaze was frantic.

"No, I'm not safe! She wants my baby because she lost hers, that was the reason why she lured me into the woods, why I started bleeding... But you can't have her, do you hear me? You can't have my baby!" Blaze said, shouting.

Knuckles felt something wet running down his cheeks and noticed that he had started crying. Blaze's condition was frightening Knuckles. Was Blaze losing her mind?

Of course, Knuckles knew about the mental condition of Blaze's mother, her being institutionalized due to paranoid schizophrenia. Was Blaze suffering from it as well or was she really seeing someone?

Knuckles remembered his cousins' especially Shadow's strange behavior and his suspicions with regard to the cabin, remembered Amy and the babies' odd behavior.

Shadow thought that something was wrong with the cabin. Maybe Shadow was right.

As soon as possible Knuckles would do some research; he was a journalist, after all.

* * *

End of Chapter 8.

Please Review.

No Flames.


End file.
